NURSING AND THE SAFE USE OF HIGH-ALERT MEDICATION IN CRITICAL CARE

Abstract

Background: Patients admitted to intensive care [IC] have great instability in their health condition. Maximum alert medication [MAM] is any medication that, in the event of an error in its use, can cause harm or even death to the patient. The nurse presents himself as the last barrier between medication error and the patient Objective: Identify which nursing strategies promote the safe use of MAM in IC, through a Systematic Literature Review . Methodology: Through the PICO mnemonic, the search for studies was carried out in full text, with year of publication between 2015 and 2021 and in Portuguese, English or Spanish. We used the EBSCOhost database and the gray literature available on Google Scholar. Results: Double independent verification, clinical supervision, non-interruption of the nurse's activity, therapeutic protocols, the use of intelligent infusion pumps and the use of computerized clinical systems are effective strategies in increasing the safety of the use of MAM by of nurses in IC. Conclusions: The study and implementation of nursing strategies that promote the safe use of MAM is essential to increase the safety of patients admitted to IC.