The University was approached by UVAMED, a healthcare innovation company based in Leicestershire. The company had produced Rainbow Trays – colour-coded compartmentalised syringe trays – and wanted to have their effectiveness evaluated.
Drugs used for anaesthesia and sedation are prepared and administered in complex clinical environments and distracting conditions, which can lead to human error. Data suggests that drug-related errors – such as accidental syringe swaps – occur in 1 in 133 anaesthetic administrations.
The team – Dr Edward Stupple, Professor Frances Maratos, Andrew Baird and Dr Victoria Laxton – conducted independent objective trials on the trays, supported by funding from the government’s innovation and research agency, Innovate UK.
Based in realistic clinical skills suite environments at the University of Derby and a local NHS Trust hospital, the team used state-of-the-art eye-tracking technology, among other techniques, to test the trays’ effectiveness. The team worked with consultant anaesthetists to design the tasks, including medical condition scenarios.
Frances Maratos, Professor of Psychology and Affective Science at the University of Derby, explains:
“Our results are promising with respect to improving patient safety. For example, the organisation of colour-coded trays may facilitate secondary checks from theatre staff such as Operating Department Practitioners, as an additional safety layer, with the aim of preventing drug errors in high-pressured environments such as operating theatres.”
Bev Fawdington, Director of UVAMED, said:
“This study provides clear evidence that a standardised system such as Rainbow Trays can reduce cognitive load and the risk of medication error during administration. These results – delivered on a project conducted almost entirely during the Covid pandemic – illustrate the ingenuity, tenacity and dedication of the research team and NHS participants. They show that standardising the presentation of anaesthetic drugs can improve both clinicians’ wellbeing and patient outcomes.”