Table 2.
Characteristics of the drug administrations
| Characteristics | Phase 1, frequency (%) | Phase 2, frequency (%) | Combined, frequency (%) | χ2 (P-value) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No of doses observed | 1,284 (47.8) | 1,401 (52.2) | 2,685 (100) | −3.1932 (0.0014)** |
| Ward | ||||
| Ward A | 457 (35.6) | 549 (39.2) | 1,006 (37.5) | 3.694 (0.055) |
| Ward B | 827 (64.4) | 852 (60.8) | 1,679 (62.5) | |
| Observer | ||||
| 1 | 573 (44.6) | 725 (51.7) | 1,298 (48.3) | 13.610 (<0.001)** |
| 2 | 711 (55.4) | 676 (48.3) | 1,387 (51.7) | |
| Administration rounds (hours) | ||||
| 08:00 | 605 (47.1) | 596 (42.7) | 1,201 (44.8) | 16.236 (0.001)** |
| 12:00 | 262 (20.4) | 372 (26.6) | 634 (23.6) | |
| 16:00 | 205 (16.0) | 192 (13.7) | 397 (14.8) | |
| 18:00 | 212 (16.5) | 237 (17.0) | 449 (16.8) | |
| Staff with medication apron | ||||
| Yes | 561 (46.2) | 608 (45.2) | 1,169 (45.7) | 0.241 (0.623) |
| No | 654 (53.8) | 737 (54.8) | 1,391 (54.3) | |
| Routes of administrationa | ||||
| Oral | 402 (31.1) | 427 (30.5) | 829 (30.9) | 0.216 (0.642) |
| Nasogastric | 393 (30.6) | 382 (27.3) | 775 (28.9) | 3.643 (0.056) |
| Intravenous | 302 (23.5) | 403 (28.8) | 705 (26.3) | 9.519 (0.002)** |
| Groups of medication useda | ||||
| Antibacterial drugs | 332 (25.9) | 409 (29.2) | 741 (27.6) | 3.733 (0.053) |
| Vitamins and minerals | 259 (20.2) | 253 (18.1) | 512 (19.1) | 1.938 (0.164) |
| Bronchodilators | 132 (10.3) | 100 (7.1) | 232 (8.6) | 8.382 (0.004)** |
| Diuretics | 80 (6.2) | 64 (4.6) | 144 (5.4) | 3.648 (0.056) |
| Analgesics | 77 (6.0) | 71 (5.1) | 148 (5.5) | 1.110 (0.292) |
| Antiemetics | 47 (3.7) | 74 (5.3) | 121 (4.5) | 4.093 (0.043)* |
| Corticosteroids | 39 (3.0) | 51 (3.6) | 90 (3.4) | 0.752 (0.386) |
| Antisecretory drugs | 32 (2.5) | 64 (4.6) | 96 (3.6) | 8.375 (0.004)** |
Notes:
a
Only the main categories are shown in this table, and hence, the total does not add up to 100%.
*
P<0.05.
**
P<0.01.