Evaluation of interruptions during drug preparation in the orthopedics unit: An observational prospective research

The study was carried out using observational and prospective methods to evaluate the divisions experienced during drug preparation in the Orthopedics and Traumatology Unit of a university hospital. The universe of the research was formed by drug preparations in the Orthopedics and Traumatology Unit of a university hospital during weekdays and daylight hours. The sample of the study was constituted the drug preparations selected by the randomization method in the same hospital. In order to reduce the divisions that nurses are exposed to during drug preparations, nurses were dressed in colored safety vests during drug preparation. Research data were collected by observing a total of 152 drug preparations, 76 of which were observed before and after the intervention, between June and August 2022. The data obtained during the observations were recorded in the Drug Preparation Observation Form, which was created by the researchers in line with the literature and whose content validity was approved. NCSS (Number Cruncher Statistical System) 2020 Statistical Software (NCSS LLC, Kaysville, Utah, USA) program was used for statistical analysis of the data obtained. Shapiro Wilks, Student t, Mann Whitney-U, Kruskal Wallis, Dunn, Interclass Correlation Coefficient, Fisher's Exact tests were used in the evaluation of the data, as well as descriptive statistical methods such as standard deviation, median, min, max values, frequency, percentage. The results were evaluated at the 95% confidence interval and the significance level of p<0.05. As a result of the research, it was found that during the drug preparations, the most frequent interruptions occurred due to the patient's relatives, physicians and the ringing of the personal phone. After the intervention, nurses had statistically significantly fewer (p=0.001; p<0.01) and shorter duration of splits during drug preparations (p=0.001; p<0.01). In conclusion; It was determined that the use of colored safety vests during drug preparations reduced the divisions experienced by nurses.