Reducing Medication Errors by Adopting Automatic Dispensing Cabinets in Critical Care Units.

Medication errors can have severe consequences and threaten patient safety. The patient safety-related benefits of automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) have been reported by several previous studies, including a reduction in medication errors in intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency departments. However, the benefits of ADCs need to be assessed, given the different healthcare practice models. This study aimed to compare the rates of medication errors, including prescription, dispensing, and administrative, before and after using ADCs in intensive care units. The prescription, dispensing, and administrative error data before and after the adoption of ADCs were retrospectively collected from the medication error report system. The severity of medication errors was classified according to the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention guidelines. The study outcome was the rate of medication errors. After the adoption of ADCs in the intensive care units, the rates of prescription and dispensing errors reduced from 3.03 to 1.75 per 100,000 prescriptions and 3.87 to 0 per 100,000 dispensations, respectively. The administrative error rate decreased from 0.046 to 0.026%. The ADCs decreased National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention category B and D errors by 75% and category C errors by 43%. To improve medication safety, multidisciplinary collaboration and strategies, such as the use of automated dispensing cabinets, education, and training programs from a systems perspective, are warranted.

Nanoconfinement of metal oxide MgO and ZnO in zeolitic imidazolate framework ZIF-8 for CO2 adsorption and regeneration.

Microporous materials exhibit fast CO2 adsorption rate with possible sacrificed capacity, while CO2 chemisorption on metal oxides is remarkable but kinetics and reactive area are critical. In order to adopt the advantages of both microporous sorbent zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF) and metal oxide (MO), in this research, magnesium oxide (MgO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) were doped to ZIF-8 (MO@ZIF) using infiltration and calcination processes. The powder X-ray diffraction patterns showed retained ZIF-8 integrity after MO addition. Broad MgO peaks implied well-dispersed nanoparticles, while sharp ZnO diffractions indicated oxide agglomeration, supported by the field emission transmission electron microscope images. ZIF pore size was expanded due to confined MgO without sacrificing the framework porosity. Because of nanoconfinement, the MgO@ZIF-8 room temperature CO2 adsorption, as well as the adsorption rate constant in pseudo-second order model, were two-fold higher than expectation. In addition, the decarbonation temperature in MgO@ZIF-8 was reduced by 40 degrees. In general, it was found that metal oxide nanoconfinement in microporous zeolitic imidazolate frameworks performed improved CO2 uptake, facilitated adsorption kinetics at ambient temperature, and lowered regeneration temperature to release CO2.