Nurses’ Medication Errors in the Ediatric Emergency Departme in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Findings: This study highlights the significant role nurses play in the medication administration process. It has been found out that the 3 top rank factors contributing to medication errors were interruptions during medication pass (M= 2.32), shortage of nursing staff (M= 2.13), and caring for high acuity patients (M= 2.11). Whereas, hostile work environment (M= 1.56) was the least among all factors. Moreover, all four types of medication technologies: barcode medication administration (M= 1.79), computerized physician order entry (M= 1.9), automated medication dispensing (M= 2.28), and smart infusion pumps (M= 2.34) were perceived as very helpful in reducing medication errors. Lastly, the several demographic characteristics, years of clinical experience (p= 0.01), and the years of attending pharmacology courses (p= 0.04) were found significantly related with medication errors. Results of this study have implications for the staff nurses, hospital administration, and the health care system in planning for interventions which reduce medication error and promote establishing of a safety culture.