Drug recognition by nurses and anaesthetists.

A survey of nurses and anaesthetists in a 500-bed teaching hospital set out to discover how they located a drug container in order to read its label and verify its contents. Members of each group assessed the value of seven factors thought to help in this location and answered questions on personal errors in drug administration. The nurses found the expected position of the drug container in the trolley or cupboard to be the most important factor, followed by the size of the container. The anaesthetists placed the colour of the container as most important, followed by the manufacturer's distinctive container as their second best guide to drug location. This preference for colour and a distinctive container can be used to reduce the chance of confusing drugs locally. A scheme for colour-coding ampoules in broad groups to reduce gross mistakes in the future is presented.