Good compliance with NPSA potassium alert
Adherence to the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) alert for the storage and handling of concentrated potassium solutions is good according a recent report (Quality
and Safety in Healthcare 2005;14:196). Researchers
from the University of York evaluated 207 clinical areas in 20 randomly
selected acute NHS trusts in England and Wales.
The study, which involved interviews and inspections of clinical areas,
found 100 per cent compliance with storage requirements (ie, vials in
a locked cupboard separate from other injectables) and 98 per cent of
areas did not contain unauthorised stocks of potassium.
All trusts documented control of potassium chloride in clinical areas.
However, there were documenation errors in 10 per cent of these areas.During
interviews, 78 per cent of nurses and only 30 per cent of junior doctors
were aware of the alert.
The researchers concluded that the NPSA alert was effective and resulted
in rapid development and implementation of local policies to reduce the
availabilty of concentrated potassium chloride solutions. However, they
warned that, “cost, lack of storage space, inconsistent availability
of some of the newer, stronger solutions and difficulties in accessing
concentrated potassium chloride out of hours may contribute to its return”.
They also advised that continued vigilance of pharmacy departments with
annual random checks will maintain this standard.
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Hospital Pharmacist