Maastricht UMC+ Presents Safe Administration of Parenterals at IGJ Visit

On Thursday, June 6, the Dutch Healthcare Inspectorate (IGJ) visited Maastricht UMC+ as part of its 'Appropriate Care' initiative. During the visit, Afke van de Plas, alongside nurse and project leader Janne Jacobs, presented the Safe Administration of Parenterals project.

At MUMC+, a risk-based approach is being implemented in which nurses are no longer required to perform a double-check with two nurses for every parenteral administration. This marks a shift from the current policy under the VMS (Safety Management System) guidelines for high-risk medications. Under the new approach, the double-check is only conducted when there is an increased risk of patient harm following an error. As a result, the double-check process is now more targeted and performed only when truly necessary. Preliminary results from the ongoing research suggest that this change improves safety for both patients and nursing staff, while also saving time for the nursing team.

MUMC+ is also at the forefront of a collaborative effort with sixteen other hospitals to draft a position paper calling for revisions to the VMS high-risk medication guidelines. A study is currently underway in these hospitals—across all UMCs—to investigate the similarities and differences in policies and practices related to the safe administration of parenterals.

The presentation to IGJ was well received, and MUMC+ has been invited to present the project’s findings to the IGJ again in the autumn.