INTRODUCTION

The physical work environment in healthcare settings is one of the most important potential contributors to medication errors. Data on medication errors reported to the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) Medication Error Reporting Program (2008) show that various physical attributes of the workplace affect human performance on the job. These attributes may help or hinder healthcare providers as they strive to deliver safe, high-quality care to every patient. As noted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in its landmark 2001 report, Quality Chasm, “Health care today harms too frequently and routinely fails to deliver its potential benefits.”