The formula to calculate the Medication Error Rate (MER) is:
\[ MER = \frac{E}{O} \times 100 \]
Where:
The medication error rate is a measure of the frequency of errors in medication administration. It is calculated by dividing the number of errors observed by the number of opportunities for errors, then multiplying by 100. This metric is crucial for healthcare providers to monitor and improve the safety and quality of medication administration.
Let's say the number of errors observed (E) is 5, and the number of opportunities for errors (O) is 200. Using the formula:
\[ MER = \frac{5}{200} \times 100 = 2.5 \% \]
So, the medication error rate (MER) is 2.5%.