Sliding scale insulin order sheet cuts medication errors

(HealthDay)—A standardized sliding scale insulin (SSI) order sheet can reduce the incidence of SSI-related medication errors, according to a study published online Dec. 7 in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.

Saki Harada, from Gifu University Hospital in Japan, and colleagues prepared an SSI order sheet and examined the effect of its introduction. They obtained data on the incidence of medication errors, hyperglycemia, and hypoglycemia related to SSI from electronic medical records.

The researchers found that introduction of the standardized SSI order sheet correlated with a significant reduction in the incidence of SSI-related medication errors compared with before its introduction (7.3 versus 2.1 percent; P = 0.048). There was no difference seen between the groups in the incidence of hyperglycemia or hypoglycemia among those receiving SSI.

"The introduction of the standardized SSI order sheet reduced the incidence of medication errors related to SSI," the authors write.