Puesta en marcha del primer proyecto piloto “prospecto electrónico” (ePIL) en medicamentos del ámbito hospitalario en España Translated title: Start-up first electronic leaflet (ePIL) project for medicines used in hospital environment in Spain

Background In the European Union it is mandatory to include paper package leaflets (PPL) with all medicines, including vaccines, to inform the recipient. However, it is difficult to meet the necessity for localized PPLs in each of the 24 official European languages. Replacing PPLs with electronic versions offers many advantages including redistribution across nations, reduced storage space, accessibility by the visually impaired, easily updated information or the addition of video content. We wanted to assess the attitudes of patients (vaccine recipients or their parents) to the potential of replacing PPL with electronic versions. Methods We surveyed vaccinees or their parents in four European countries—Belgium, Italy, Bulgaria and France—for their actual use of vaccine PPLs and their opinions about switching to an electronic package leaflet. Our survey was conducted online because of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulted in 2518 responses to a questionnaire targeted at three specific groups with particular information needs: parents of young children, pregnant women and the elderly (≥ 60 years). Results Our main findings are that currently vaccine PPLs are rarely used and frequently unavailable for the vaccinee. Across the four countries surveyed 55–82% of vaccinees would accept an electronic version, as did 64% when there was an option to request a printout of the leaflet. Conclusions We found that switching to electronic versions of vaccine PPLs is an acceptable alternative for the public, potentially increasing the quality and amount of information reaching vaccinees while eliminating some barriers to redistribution of vaccines between countries. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12889-022-12510-8.

Abstract Introduction: Healthcare-related technology has been widely accepted as a key patient safety solution to reduce adverse drug events by decreasing the risk of human error. The introduction of technology can enhance safety and support workflow; however, it does not eliminate all error types and may create new ones. Barcode medication administration and smart infusion pumps are two technologies utilized during medication administration to prevent medication errors before they reach the patient. Objective: This article reviewed different error types with barcode medication administration and smart infusion pumps and examined how these errors were able to occur while using the technology. Recommendations for preventing these types of errors were also discussed. Conclusion: Hospitals must understand the technology, how it is designed to work, which errors it is intended to prevent, as well as understand how it will change staff workflow. It is essential that metrics are set by hospital leadership and regularly monitored to ensure optimal use of these technologies. It is also important to identify and avoid workarounds which eliminate or diminish the safety benefits that the technology was designed to achieve. Front line staff feedback should be gathered on a periodic basis to understand any struggles with utilizing the technology. Leaders must also understand that even with full implementation of technology, medication errors may still occur.