They found that ‘advanced drug preparation without rechecking’
was another major condition involved in medication errors,
which has seldom been reported. Upon interviewing hospital
nurses, they found that it is common, although against hospital
policy, for a ‘task-oriented’ nurse to work on the busy wards. Some nurses on the day shift even confided that they
prepare medications for evening shift nurses out of friendship
during understaffing situations. Although nurses are
encouraged to use standard protocols in administering drugs
and to avoid interruptions (Ashton & Iyer 2003), the reality
of time pressures and excessive workloads causes them to
modify protocols, resulting in error-prone situations.