Evaluation of Parenteral Electrolyte Solution Utilization and Fluid Therapy in Surgical Department of Imam Reza, Mashhad, Iran

Background: Intravenous fluid therapy is frequently used for hospitalized patients but it is overused in many cases. This can lead to economic burden in addition to complications. Few studies have investigated fluid therapy cost-related errors. Drug Use Evaluation (DUE) can be used to evaluate these errors. The aim of our research is to evaluate fluid therapy errors in surgery ward of Imam Reza Hospital, Mashhad, Iran. Methods: During this cross-sectional study, patients selected by simple randomization method from surgical ward of a teaching hospital in Mashhad, Iran. Intravenous fluid therapy information including indication, type, volume and rate of fluid administration was recorded for each patient. An internal protocol for intravenous fluid therapy was designed based on literature review and available recommendations by clinical pharmacists. The data related to patients’ fluid therapy were compared with this protocol. Main outcome measure of this study was any mistake in the selection of fluid type, content, volume and rate of administration. Results: One hundred patients were observed during study. Errors in the rate of fluid administration (85%), incorrect fluid volume calculation (83%) and incorrect type of fluid selection (1%) were the most common types of errors. Conclusion: Our result showed that intravenous fluid therapy errors occurred commonly in the hospitalized patients especially in the medical wards. Improvement in knowledge and attention of health-care workers about these errors are essential for preventing of medication errors in aspect of fluid therapy.