O Que Sabem Médicos e Enfermeiros Sobre Medicamentos Look-Alike, Sound-Alike e de Alerta Máximo

Introduction: Look-alike, sound-alike (LASA) and maximum alert drugs are associated with medicationerrors. The aim of this study was to assess the degree of awareness regarding these drugs among healthprofessionals of the Pediatric Emergency Department of a level II hospital.Material and Methods: A prospective comparative study was conducted, including physicians and nurses,by completing an anonymous questionnaire about these types of drugs, at 3 different times: before (M1), immediatelyafter (M2) and 3 months after (M3) a training session and availability of bibliography on the topic.Results: In M1, 20% and 16% of doctors and 78% and 94% of nurses correctly defined LASA and MaximumAlert medications, respectively.No doctor recognized in M1 the existence of a policy on maximum alert medications and only 4% recognizedit on LASA medications.In M2 and M3, 67% and 55% of doctors and 62% and 56% of nurses correctly chose LASA medications; 81%and 70% of doctors and 85% and 86% of nurses correctly chose maximum alert drugs.Discussion: The level of knowledge among the two professional classes was lower in M1 and improved later,after a training session. Nurses presented the highest percentage of correct answers, probably due to previouscontact with the topic, related to their functions in the storage, preparation and administration of medication.Conclusion: The results found suggest a need of mandatory training sessions and other strategies forspreading the information, especially in the medical class, since according to several authors the lack ofknowledge is a risk factor for medication errors, and therefore, for poor patient’s safety.