An examination of factors contributing to medication errors and medication errors among hospital nurses

摘要

© GATA.Aim: Medication errors are among the most prevalent medical errors leading to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Little is known about medication errors in our countries. The objectives of this study nurses working in clinics to determine the prevalence of medication errors and to identify the main contributory factors involved. Methods: The study was a cross-sectional study targeting 259 nurses working in a hospitals located in the Black Sea region. Data were collected by means of a researcher-made questionnaire including demographic attributes (age, educational status, working experience,…), and contributing factors in medication errors and Epworth Sleepiness Scale. The data were collected in 2015. Data analyses were performed by descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. SPSS-16 software was used in this study and p values less than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The mean age of the participant nurses was 36.87±7.65 years. Of participants 46.4 had committed medication errors in the past year. The most important causes of medication errors was found to be lack of work experience and excessive the number of patients and the shift system. Daytime sleepiness was no significant association between medication errors. Conclusions: In this study, carried out by the practice nurse medication error rate it was found to be high. Work experience, number of patients and shift work has been identified as an important factor contributing to medication errors. We recommend retraining courses to improve the staff’s pharmacological information, modification of the education process, reducing the number of patients they provide care and regulation of working hours.