Capping intravenous tubing and disinfecting intravenous ports reduce risks of infection.

摘要

Problem: Although many improvements in patient safety have been made in the nation's health care system, medication errors and health care-associated infections (HAIs) still top the list of problems. These serious incidents have received widespread attention, and rightfully so. In a 2006 report, the Institute of Medicine noted that medication errors were among the most common medical mistakes, harming at least 1.5 million people each year and costing more than dollar3.5 billion annually for preventable drug-related injuries in hospitals alone.