Assessment of Medication Errors among Anesthesia Staff in Government Hospitals in Sana'a City, Yemen

Background

Medication errors (MEs) frequently occur during the execution and administration of anesthesia and are influenced by several factors, such as the experience of the anesthesia staff, the severity of comorbidities, and the technique used. Without pharmacy approval or referral to other staff, anesthesia staff prepare, administer, and monitor powerful anesthetic drugs. This study aimed to evaluate medication errors made by anesthesia staff members working in government hospitals in Sana'a City, Yemen. Methods: A total of 102 anesthesia staff members in government hospitals participated in a descriptive cross-sectional study consistent with the STROBE guidelines was used. The data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire administered during a previous study from March 26th to April 9th, 2022.

Results

A total of 83.3% of the participants were males. A total of 37.3% were aged 25–30 years, 58.8% had 1–5 years of experience, 52.0% had a diploma, and 80.4% were anesthesia technology specialists. In relation to medication errors, 56.9% of them experienced administration errors in their anesthesia practice. There were statistically significant differences in the opinions of preventive measures between anesthesiologists and anesthesia technology specialists.

Conclusion

There was a high occurrence of anesthetic medication errors in Sana'a government hospitals. Syringe labeling practices need to be standardized by policymakers, and future studies should concentrate on the factors that encourage reporting errors in nonpunitive cultures.