# PA-20-070 Improving Medication Safety and Nursing Workflow during COVID Through eMAR Redesign

> **NIH AHRQ R01** · MEDSTAR HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE · 2021 · $245,263

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
The proposed research is in direct response to AHRQ PA-20-070. We aim to support nursing workflow and
reduce patient safety hazards associated with electronic medication administration records (eMARs) during
pandemics such as COVID-19 by: (1) understanding pre-COVID-19 and COVID-19 medication administration
workflows through analysis of health information technology and virtual interviews with nurses; and (2)
developing and disseminating a medication administration workflow risk assessment tool to healthcare facilities
and health information technology test cases to assess eMAR usability and safety. We will develop a broad
understanding of medication administration workflow changes and health information technology needs pre
COVDI-19 and during COVID-19 by comparing electronic data generated in interactions with medication
administration technology these respective time periods. We will then conduct interviews with nurses to
validate the medication administration workflows, and generate process maps to compare pre-COVID-19 vs.
COVID-19 medication administration workflows with the goal of identifying safety risks. These data will inform
the development of the risk assessment tool and usability test cases to be disseminated to healthcare facilities
and technology vendors.
This project utilizes the extensive expertise of the research team in human factors, health information
technology, informatics and data science, and safety science. Our research team includes physicians, nurses,
and human factors engineers. The proposal addresses fundamental aspects of the call for proposals by
providing new insights on medication administration safety and health information technology to address
challenges of pandemics such as COVID-19. Contributions from this research will include a fundamental
understanding of the role of health information technology during medication administration with a focus on
information flow, design, and development of a risk assessment tool and test cases for healthcare systems and
technology vendors to meet the increased risks to patient safety during COVID-19.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10175229
- **Project number:** 3R01HS025136-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** MEDSTAR HEALTH RESEARCH INSTITUTE
- **Principal Investigator:** Raj M Ratwani
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** AHRQ
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $245,263
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2018-07-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10175229

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10175229, PA-20-070 Improving Medication Safety and Nursing Workflow during COVID Through eMAR Redesign (3R01HS025136-03S1). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10175229. Licensed CC0.

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