No / The effects of drug errors and any consequent adverse events frequently impact on patients, their relatives and professional carers. Furthermore, the financial cost to the National Health Service is considerable (DoH, 2000; DoH, 2001; DoH, 2004). In a study of two London teaching hospitals, Vincent et al. (2001) found that 10% of patients are exposed to an adverse event, which adds a mean 8.5 days to their hospital stay. Drug errors are recurrently reported to account for between 10 and 20% of all adverse events (DoH, 2004). In response to Department of Health policy, NHS trusts are changing their approach to the management of error to encourage more reporting. The emphasis is on openness and support, and individual and organisational learning rather than blame. Research designed to increase a knowledge of the aetiology and context of drug errors should be carefully constructed and include qualitative methods which, if implemented according to established convention, can reflect the approaches described above. This paper will critique a recently published study that focused on nursing practice and was, in our view, inappropriately described as ethnographic. The study undoubtedly adds to the body of existing knowledge about drug errors and, crucially, if the study contributes to improved patient safety, it must, fundamentally, be valued. Nevertheless, some qualitative research conventions were broken and, as such, it is suggested, some opportunities for a broader understanding and for learning may have been lost. The critique will lead to a range of recommendations about future qualitative studies in this research domain which, it is argued, could produce a fuller picture of the context, culture and, perhaps, even the cause of error.

Since 1999 when the report To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System was released, medical errors have come into focus (Kohn, 2000). In an effort to reduce medication administration errors in prehospital emergency care, an android-based smartphone application simulation was created. The app has components including QR barcode scanning, text to speech for medication cross-checking, weight-based medication dose calculations, and time stamped medication data wirelessly transferring to a database in real-time. Color standard identification was implemented, aiding to a designed systematic process for patient treatment to reduce medication errors. Direct observation was performed of emergency patient calls with Richmond Ambulance Authority’s providers for a preliminary assessment. Device testing was assessed with emergency medical interns and functionally tested in different light environments. Results showed how similar different pharmaceutical vendors created medication labeling and that 58.3% of medical experts would say this device served to reduce medication administration errors.