Safety of the Antibiotic Medication Use Process in the Intensive Care Unit

Understanding the antibiotic medication use process in the intensive care unit (ICU) is important for patient care outcomes. A system view of the medication use process facilitates understanding the role of communication between various disciplines in ensuring the timely administration of antibiotics. Antibioticrelated medication safety events (N=312) were collected in two adult ICUs. We describe the information and communication flow in the medication use process and show the complexity of the process. An in-depth analysis of 101 (32%) events for late first-dose antibiotic identifies multiple factors contributing to the events.