scholarly journals Accuracy of Discriminating between Similar Drug Names by Nurses: Effect of Finger-pointing on Error Prevention

2017 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junko Mitobe ◽  
Takahiro Higuchi
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Error Prevention ◽  
Target Drug ◽  
Complex Stimuli ◽  
Similar Drug ◽  
Drug Names ◽  
Prevent Medication Error ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Degree Of Similarity

Discriminating between similar drug names accurately is important in order to prevent medication error. To facilitate accurate discrimination, performing finger-pointing toward drug names to recognize them is recommended in Japan for healthcare workers. We investigate whether nurses would accurately recognize the difference between target and similar drug names and whether finger-pointing would lead to error prevention for drug names by using a choice reaction time task. Participants observed six drug names with or without pointing with the index finger and determined as quickly and accurately as possible whether the target drug name was present. Targets were real drug names, although distractors were pseudo names so as to strictly manipulate the degree of similarity. The results showed that error rates were significantly higher for nurses than for students. Due to their familiarity with the drug names, the nurses could misrecognize the pseudo words as target drug names when a quick response was requested. We also found that nurses did not receive a benefit from finger-pointing. Moreover, finger-pointing may have been inadequate to lead to accurate recognition of complex stimuli, such as drug names.

Top-Down Processing of Drug Names Can Induce Errors in Discriminating Similar Pseudo-Drug Names by Nurses

2020 ◽  
pp. 001872082094660
Author(s):  
Junko Mitobe ◽  
Takahiro Higuchi
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Error Rate ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Error Prevention ◽  
Similar Drug ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Drug Names

Background One factor that could cause medical errors is confusing medicines with similar names. A previous study showed that nurses who have knowledge about drugs faced difficulty in discriminating a drug name from similar pseudo-drug names. To avoid such errors, finger-pointing and calling (FPC) has been recommended in Japan. Objectives The present study had two aims. The first was to determine whether such difficulty was due to top-down processing, rather than bottom-up processing, being applied even for pseudo-names. The other was to investigate whether FPC affected error prevention for similar drug names. Method In two experiments, nurses and non–health care professionals performed a choice reaction time task for drug names and common words, with or without FPC. Error rate and reaction time were analyzed. Results When drug names were used, nurses showed difficulty discriminating target names from distractors. Furthermore, the error prevention effect of FPC was marginally significant for drug names. However, nurses showed no significant differences when similar drug names were used. There was no significant difference regarding the error rate for words. Conclusions Nurses’ knowledge of drug names activates top-down processing. As a result, the processing of drug names was not as accurate and quick as that for words for nurses, which caused difficulty in discriminating similar names. FPC may be applicable to reduce confusion errors, possibly by leading individuals to process drug names using bottom-up processing. Application The present study advances current knowledge about error tendencies with similar drug names and the effects of FPC on error prevention.

Similar Drug Names a Growing Cause of Errors

2008 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 51 ◽  
Author(s):  
BRUCE K. DIXON
Keyword(s):  
Similar Drug ◽  
Drug Names

Similar Drug Names Cause Nominal Confusion

2005 ◽  
Vol 35 (22) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
MICHELE G. SULLIVAN
Keyword(s):  
Similar Drug ◽  
Drug Names

scholarly journals Mining chemical information in Swedish wastewaters for simultaneous assessment of population consumption, treatment efficiency and environmental discharge of illicit drugs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Inga Haalck ◽  
Paul Löffler ◽  
Christine Baduel ◽  
Karin Wiberg ◽  
Lutz Ahrens ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Illicit Drugs ◽  
Emerging Contaminants ◽  
Chemical Information ◽  
Treatment Efficiency ◽  
Daily Consumption ◽  
Urban Populations ◽  
The Public ◽  
Target Drug ◽  
Similar Drug ◽  
Almost All

AbstractConsumption of illicit drugs poses health risks to the public and environment. Knowledge on their usage helps better implementations of intervention strategies to reduce drug-related harms in the society and also policies to limit their releases as emerging contaminants to recipient environments. This study aimed to investigate from the daily consumption to treatment efficiency and subsequent discharge of illicit drugs by the Swedish urban populations based on simultaneous collection and analysis of influent and effluent wastewater. Two different weekly monitoring campaigns showed similar drug prevalence in Stockholm and Uppsala, with amphetamine as the most popular drug. Almost all target drug residues were still measurable in effluent wastewater. High removal efficiencies (> 94%) were observed for amphetamine, cocaine and benzoylecgonine, whereas ketamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), mephedrone and methamphetamine were the least removed substances (< 64%), with the highest discharge observed for MDMA in both catchments (~ 3.0 g/day in Uppsala; ~ 18 g/day in Stockholm). Our study provides new insights into short-term changes in the use and related discharge of illicit drugs by urban populations. Such wastewater monitoring can provide useful information to public health, forensic and environmental authorities in planning future intervention and regulation policies.

Acceptable Levels of Tonal and Broad-Band Repetitive and Continuous Sounds during the Performance of Nonauditory Tasks

1995 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 803-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulf Landström ◽  
Anders Kjellberg ◽  
Marianne Byström
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Sound Pressure ◽  
Broad Band ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Simple Reaction Time Task ◽  
Reasoning Test ◽  
Band Noise ◽  
Time Test ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Reaction Time Test

Three groups of 24 subjects were exposed to a 1000–Hz tone or broad band noise in a sound chamber. During the exposures subjects were engaged in an easy reaction time test or a difficult grammatical reasoning test. For each exposure and work subjects adjusted the noise to a tolerance level defined by its interference with task performance. During the simple reaction-time task significantly higher sound-pressure levels were accepted than during the reasoning test. At the tonal exposure, much lower levels were accepted than during the exposure to broad-band noise. For continuous sound exposures much higher levels were accepted than for noncontinuous exposures. For tonal exposures the difference was approximately 5 dB, for the broad-band exposures approximately 9 dB. In a separate study the effects of the noncontinuity of the noise and pauses were analysed. The raised annoying effect of the noncontinuous noise was not more affected by the noncontinuity of the noise periods than by the noncontinuity of the pauses. The results imply that the annoying reactions to the sound will be increased for repetitive noise and that the reaction is highly influenced by the over-all noncontinuity of the exposure.

Production of Melanin from Aspergillus fumigatus as an Avirulence Factor

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (04) ◽  
pp. 651-654
Author(s):  
Anmar Sael Hussein ◽  
Saja Jamal Noman
Keyword(s):  
Ir Spectra ◽  
Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽  
Wave Numbers ◽  
Quantitative Examination ◽  
Wave Range ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Chemical Characters ◽  
Chemical Groups ◽  
High Degree ◽  
Degree Of Similarity

In this quantitative examination of melanin was detected in 41 isolates of fumigatus. It was found that the significance of the difference in which the production of melanin (p ˂ 0.001) was the range of melanin extracted from fumigatus between (1.2 - 3.1 mg/mL). The isolates AFU1, AFU14, AFU29, AFU30, and AFU41 indicated that the maximum production ranged between (2.9-3.1 mg/mL). 2 hours at 100°C. It has similarities with standard melanin characters, and the same chemical characters of melanin extracted from the hymen of Bjerkandara adusta have been achieved according to a study (14) meaning there is similarity with standard melanin. The overlay of IR spectra of synthetic melanin extracted from fungal cultures showed a high degree of similarity. Purification of melanin from A. fumigatus. Wave numbers shown in 3381, 2927, 1867, 1531, 1404, 1073 and 651 cm-1 The wave range can be traced to the following chemical groups: 3381 cm-1 attributed to OH bonds, 2927 cm-1 to HC or HC = 0 bonds 1404 (C-CH3), and 651 cm -1 to (acyclic) CH2 bonds.

The wettability and micro-equilibrium of different essence liquids to alkali-treated kapok fiber

2021 ◽  
pp. 004051752110320
Author(s):  
Liyao Cao ◽  
Yanfang Xu ◽  
Kaifang Xie ◽  
Fumei Wang ◽  
Guangbiao Xu
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Model ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Adhesion Energy ◽  
Phase Contact ◽  
Fiber Network ◽  
Kapok Fiber ◽  
Three Phase ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Kapok Fibers

Kapok fiber is a natural hollow fiber that has superior biocompatibility and biodegradability and is naturally antibacterial. Because of its unique properties, it has great potential in the application of postoperative repair dressings. The wettability and micro-equilibrium of kapok fibers play a critical role in dressing applications. In this study, the critical adhesion volume and adhesion energy of essence liquid to alkali-treated kapok fiber (AKF) were quantitatively calculated to explore the wettability and micro-equilibrium through the equilibrium wetting theory. Meanwhile, the three-phase contact line (TCL) structure was described. The results showed that the critical adhesion volumes of the three types of essence liquid for AKF were 3.45, 3.81, and 4.12 μL, respectively. Moreover, the critical volumes and low error rates derived from the equilibrium wetting theory were 3.41 μL and 1.16%, 3.99 μL and 4.51%, and 4.60 μL and 10.43%, respectively. Therefore, the critical volume of adhesion could be well calculated by the theoretical model. The average adhesive energies of essence liquid to the AKF were 0.38, 0.45, and 0.56 J, respectively, caused by the difference in liquids properties. The TCL showed a mechanical lock and bonding points at both ends because of the curvature difference and higher surface energy. These results are proposed to inspire the design of a liquid carrier of kapok fibers based on the fiber network structure.

Evaluation of Algorithms for Combining Independent Data Sets in a Human Performance Expert System

1987 ◽  
Vol 31 (7) ◽  
pp. 811-814
Author(s):  
Valerie J. Gawron ◽  
David J. Travale ◽  
Colin Drury ◽  
Sara Czaja
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Expert System ◽  
Human Performance ◽  
Test Procedure ◽  
Reaction Time Task ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Independent Data ◽  
Independent Variables

A major problem facing system designers today is predicting human performance in: 1) systems that have not yet been built, 2) situations that have not yet been experienced, and 3) situations for which there are only anecdotal reports. To address this problem, the Human Performance Expert System (Human) was designed. The system contains a large data base of equations derived from human performance research reported in the open literature. Human accesses these data to predict task performance times, task completion probabilities, and error rates. A problem was encountered when multiple independent data sets were relevant to one task. For example, a designer is interested in the effects of luminance and front size on number of reading errors. Two data sets exist in the literature: one examining the effects of luminance, the other, font size. The data in the two sets were collected at different locations with different subjects and at different times in history. How can the two data sets be combined to address the designer's problem? Four combining algorithms were developed and then tested in two steps. In step one, two reaction-time experiments were conducted: one to evaluate the effect the number of alternatives on reaction time; the second, signals per minute and number of displays being monitored. The four algorithms were used on the data from these two experiments to predict reaction time in the situation where all three independent variables are manipulated simultaneously. In step two of the test procedure, a third experiment was conducted. Subjects who had not participated in either Experiment One or Two performed a reaction-time task under the combined effects of all three independent variables. The predictions made from step one were compared to the actual empirical data collected in step two. The results of these comparisons are presented.

scholarly journals The Impact of Systematic Review Automation Tools on Methodological Quality and Time Taken to Complete Systematic Review Tasks: Case Study

10.2196/24418 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. e24418
Author(s):  
Justin Clark ◽  
Catherine McFarlane ◽  
Gina Cleo ◽  
Christiane Ishikawa Ramos ◽  
Skye Marshall
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Error Rate ◽  
Full Text ◽  
Methodological Quality ◽  
Error Rates ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Time Required ◽  
The Impact

Background Systematic reviews (SRs) are considered the highest level of evidence to answer research questions; however, they are time and resource intensive. Objective When comparing SR tasks done manually, using standard methods, versus those same SR tasks done using automated tools, (1) what is the difference in time to complete the SR task and (2) what is the impact on the error rate of the SR task? Methods A case study compared specific tasks done during the conduct of an SR on prebiotic, probiotic, and synbiotic supplementation in chronic kidney disease. Two participants (manual team) conducted the SR using current methods, comprising a total of 16 tasks. Another two participants (automation team) conducted the tasks where a systematic review automation (SRA) tool was available, comprising of a total of six tasks. The time taken and error rate of the six tasks that were completed by both teams were compared. Results The approximate time for the manual team to produce a draft of the background, methods, and results sections of the SR was 126 hours. For the six tasks in which times were compared, the manual team spent 2493 minutes (42 hours) on the tasks, compared to 708 minutes (12 hours) spent by the automation team. The manual team had a higher error rate in two of the six tasks—regarding Task 5: Run the systematic search, the manual team made eight errors versus three errors made by the automation team; regarding Task 12: Assess the risk of bias, 25 assessments differed from a reference standard for the manual team compared to 20 differences for the automation team. The manual team had a lower error rate in one of the six tasks—regarding Task 6: Deduplicate search results, the manual team removed one unique study and missed zero duplicates versus the automation team who removed two unique studies and missed seven duplicates. Error rates were similar for the two remaining compared tasks—regarding Task 7: Screen the titles and abstracts and Task 9: Screen the full text, zero relevant studies were excluded by both teams. One task could not be compared between groups—Task 8: Find the full text. Conclusions For the majority of SR tasks where an SRA tool was used, the time required to complete that task was reduced for novice researchers while methodological quality was maintained.

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