Fig 1. Flowchart of the literature search.

The five included studies were published between 1995 and 2010 (Table 1). None of the studies had undertaken quality indicator development specifically for the nursing process of medication preparation and administration. Two studies (Cheng et al. and Nigam et al.) originated from Canada, and both aimed to develop quality indicators for medication safety [18, 19]. The Australian NSW TAG study was commissioned by the Department of Health, which used the data to publish a manual of medication safety indicators for hospitals [20]. This study was not listed as a scientific study; it was found through the reference search. The McLoughlin et al. study had a wider scope and was undertaken as part of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Quality Indicator Project, which aimed at developing an initial set of patient safety indicators. It involved several countries (Australia, Canada, the EU, Portugal, Spain and the United States) [21]. The QRC Advisor study was a study by the American Nurses Association that aimed to develop quality indicators for safety and quality of nursing care [22].