By Leila Merrill
EMS1
FULTON, Mo. — A group of university researchers are trying to determine the type and prevalence of medication errors and protocol deviations among prehospital ALS providers (advanced-EMTs, EMT intermediates and paramedics, etc.) in the United States.
The researchers are currently seeking survey responses from EMS providers.
This ongoing study also aims to determine the reason for the incidents, how often they are reported, and the reason why there may be hesitancy among providers to report.
Cody Vaughn Gibson, MS, NRAEMT, an adjunct faculty member at the School of Science and Health at William Woods University, is leading the project.
“Medication errors can result in significant patient injury or even death and remain an ongoing issue in the healthcare field. Currently, there are numerous published studies focusing on medication errors which occur in the hospital setting. However, considerably fewer studies exist which focus on the prehospital setting,” Gibson said.
To participate, click here.