OBJECTIVES This study aimed to examine the prevalence and types of medication errors (MEs), as well as barriers to reporting MEs, among nurses working in 7 teaching hospitals affiliated with Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences in 2016.
METHODS
A convenience sampling method was used to select the study participants (n=500 nurses). A self-constructed questionnaire was employed to collect information on participants’ socio-demographic characteristics (10 items), their perceptions about the main causes of MEs (31 items), and barriers to reporting MEs to nurse managers (11 items). Data were collected from September 1 to November 30, 2016. Negative binomial regression was used to identify the main predictors of the frequency of MEs among nurses.
RESULTS
The prevalence of MEs was 17.0% (95% confidence interval, 13.7 to 20.3%). The most common types of MEs were administering medications at the wrong time (24.0%), dosage errors (16.8%), and administering medications to the wrong patient (13.8%). A heavy workload and the type of shift work were considered to be the main causes of MEs by nursing staff. Our findings showed that 45.0% of nurses did not report MEs. A heavy workload due to a high number of patients was the most important reason for not reporting MEs (mean score, 3.57±1.03) among nurses. Being male, having a second unrelated job, and fixed shift work significantly increased MEs among nurses (p=0.001).
CONCLUSIONS
Our study documented a high prevalence of MEs among nurses in the west of Iran. A heavy workload was considered to be the most important barrier to reporting MEs among nurses. Thus, appropriate strategies (e.g., reducing the nursing staff workload) should be developed to address MEs and improve patient safety in hospital settings in Iran.
Summary
Citations
Citations to this article as recorded by
Sleep deprivation and medication administration errors in registered nurses—A scoping review Christopher Vincent Martin, Joanne Joyce‐McCoach, Monica Peddle, Christine Elizabeth East Journal of Clinical Nursing.2024; 33(3): 859. CrossRef
Barriers to reporting adverse events from the perspective of ICU nurses: A mixed-method study D. Kohanová, D. Bartoníčková Enfermería Intensiva.2024; 35(4): 287. CrossRef
Prevalence of medication errors and its related factors in Iranian nurses: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis Hadis Fathizadeh, Samaneh-Sadat Mousavi, Zahra Gharibi, Hamidreza Rezaeipour, Abdol-Rahim Biojmajd BMC Nursing.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Awareness, Practices, and Contributing Factors toward Medication Errors in Children among Pediatric Nurses Sonali Singh, S. Malar Kodi, Rupinder Deol Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research and Health Care.2024; 16(1): 37. CrossRef
Iranian nurses’ attitudes towards the disclosure of patient safety incidents: a qualitative study Parichehr Sabbaghzadeh Irani, Mahlagha Dehghan, Roghayeh Mehdipour BMJ Open.2024; 14(3): e076498. CrossRef
Assessing the influence of noise levels on medication errors of nurses in a hospital in Kashan, Iran Zeynab Shahmiri, Fatemeh-Sadat Izadi-Avanji, Ismail Azizi-Fini, Abbas Bahrami, Fatemeh Atoof Health Science Monitor.2024; 3(1): 1. CrossRef
Medication error rates in Iranian hospitals: a meta-analysis Parvaneh Isfahani, Aliyeh Bazi, Samira Alirezaei, Somayeh Samani, Mohammad Sarani, Fatemeh Boulagh, Mahdieh Poodineh Moghadam, Mahnaz Afshari BMC Health Services Research.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Factors Influencing Novice and Beginner Nurses’ Intention to Report Medication Errors and Near Misses Raouaa Braiki, Frédéric Douville, Marie-Pierre Gagnon Canadian Journal of Nursing Research.2024; 56(4): 448. CrossRef
Factors influencing the reporting of medication errors and near misses among nurses: A systematic mixed methods review Raouaa Braiki, Frédéric Douville, Marie‐Pierre Gagnon International Journal of Nursing Practice.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Barriers to reporting adverse events from the perspective of ICU nurses: A mixed-method study D. Kohanová, D. Bartoníčková Enfermería Intensiva (English ed.).2024; 35(4): 287. CrossRef
Fatigue in nurses and medication administration errors: A scoping review Tracey Bell, Madeline Sprajcer, Tracey Flenady, Ashlyn Sahay Journal of Clinical Nursing.2023; 32(17-18): 5445. CrossRef
Nurses’ perceptions of the influence of leadership behaviours and organisational culture on patient safety incident reporting practices Islam Ali Al-Oweidat, Ali Saleh, Anas Husam Khalifeh, Nazih Abu Tabar, Mohammad Rafe Al Said, Malek Mohammad Khalil, Huthaifah Khrais Nursing Management.2023; 30(6): 33. CrossRef
Awareness of reporting practices and barriers to incident reporting among nurses Islam Oweidat, Khalid Al-Mugheed, Samira Ahmed Alsenany, Sally Mohammed Farghaly Abdelaliem, Majdi M. Alzoubi BMC Nursing.2023;[Epub] CrossRef
Barriers to Incident Reporting among Nurses: A Qualitative Systematic Review Moataz Mohamed Maamoun Hamed, Stathis Konstantinidis Western Journal of Nursing Research.2022; 44(5): 506. CrossRef
Nurses’ knowledge and understanding of obstacles encountered them when administering resuscitation medications: a cross-sectional study from Palestine Rawan I. Qedan, Marah A. Daibes, Samah W. Al-Jabi, Amer A. Koni, Sa’ed H. Zyoud BMC Nursing.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Effects of a standardized patient-based simulation in anaphylactic shock management for new graduate nurses Qi Ren, Fang Chen, Huijuan Zhang, Juanhua Tu, Xiaowei Xu, Caixia Liu BMC Nursing.2022;[Epub] CrossRef
Factors contributing to medication errors: A descriptive qualitative study of Italian nursing students Anna Castaldo, Monica Ferrentino, Elisa Ferrario, Marzia Papini, Maura Lusignani Nurse Education Today.2022; 118: 105511. CrossRef
Analysis of medication and prescription background risk factors contributing to oral medication administration errors by nurses: A case–control study Ryohei Suzuki, Takamasa Sakai, Mariyo Kato, Masaaki Takahashi, Akira Inukai, Fumiko Ohtsu Medicine.2022; 101(33): e30122. CrossRef
Medication administration errors and associated factors among nurses in Addis Ababa federal hospitals, Ethiopia: a hospital-based cross-sectional study Tihitena Mohammed, Sindew Mahmud, Binyam Gintamo, Zelalem Negash Mekuria, Zemichael Gizaw BMJ Open.2022; 12(12): e066531. CrossRef
Medication errors: a focus on nursing practice Nasr Alrabadi, Shaima Shawagfeh, Razan Haddad, Tareq Mukattash, Sawsan Abuhammad, Daher Al-rabadi, Rana Abu Farha, Suzan AlRabadi, Ibrahim Al-Faouri Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research.2021; 12(1): 78. CrossRef
The Association Between Cognitive Medical Errors and Their Contributing Organizational and Individual Factors Mohammad S Alyahya, Heba H Hijazi, Main Naser Alolayyan, Farah Jehad Ajayneh, Yousef S Khader, Nihaya A Al-Sheyab Risk Management and Healthcare Policy.2021; Volume 14: 415. CrossRef
Barriers to and facilitators of medication error reporting from the viewpoints of nurses and midwives working in gynecology wards of Tabriz hospitals Mojgan Mirghafourvand, Khadije Hajizadeh, Jafar Kondori, Mahin Kamalifard, Ziba Bazaz Javid Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management.2021; 26(3): 104. CrossRef
Common Barriers to Reporting Medical Errors Salim Aljabari, Zuhal Kadhim, Sylvia H. Hsu The Scientific World Journal.2021; 2021: 1. CrossRef
A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of the Medical Error Rate in Iran: 2005-2019 M. Khammarnia, A. R. Ansari-Moghaddam, Fatemeh Setoodehzadeh, K. Rezaei, C. C. T. Clark, M. Peyvand Quality Management in Health Care.2021; 30(3): 166. CrossRef
Nursing students' perception of medical errors: A cross‐sectional study in a university Victoria Bam, Adwoa Safowaa, Alberta Yemotsoo Lomotey, Abena Safoa Nkansah Nursing Open.2021; 8(6): 3152. CrossRef
Patient Safety in the Process of Pharmacotherapy Carried Out by Nurses—A Polish–Slovak Prospective Observational Study Izabela Witczak, Łukasz Rypicz, Mária Šupínová, Elena Janiczeková, Piotr Pobrotyn, Agnieszka Młynarska, Olga Fedorowicz International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2021; 18(19): 10066. CrossRef
Nurses' Perception of Medication Administration Errors in Benghazi Children Hospital Ainas Salem Eltarhuni, Hajir Omar Tawfeeq, Jebril S. El-Abidi Libyan Journal of Medical Sciences.2021; 5(4): 153. CrossRef
Příčiny a intervence medikačního pochybení ve zdravotnických zařízeních Neugebauer Jan, Tóthová Valérie, Chloubová Ivana, Hajduchová Hana, Brabcová Iva, Prokešová Radka Česká a slovenská farmacie.2021; 70(1): 43. CrossRef
Medication error trends in Middle Eastern countries Saba Aidah, Syed Wasif Gillani, Afifa Alderazi, Fawaz Abdulazeez Journal of Education and Health Promotion.2021; 10(1): 227. CrossRef
Barriers and Facilities in Reporting Medical Errors Azadeh Asgarian, Pegah Mahjour, Hamidreza Heidari, Nasim Khademi, Keivan Ghassami, Abolfazl Mohammadbeigi Advances in Human Biology.2021; 11(1): 17. CrossRef
Medication administration errors and contributing factors among nurses: a cross sectional study in tertiary hospitals, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Adam Wondmieneh, Wudma Alemu, Niguse Tadele, Asmamaw Demis BMC Nursing.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
The effect of education around ethical principles on nurses’ perception to patient safety culture in an Iranian mental health inpatient unit: a pilot study Behzad Razzani, Foroozan Atashzadeh-Shoorideh, Tayebeh Jamshidi, Maasoumeh Barkhordari-Sharifabad, Zahra Lotfi, Victoria Skerrett BMC Nursing.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
Medication errors among registered nurses in Jordan Nasr Alrabadi, Rabia Haddad, Razan Haddad, Shaima Shawagfeh, Tareq Mukatash, Daher Al-rabadi, Sawsan Abuhammad Journal of Pharmaceutical Health Services Research.2020; 11(3): 237. CrossRef
Examining the Influence of Workplace Incivility on Nurses’ Patient Safety Competence Nahed Alquwez Journal of Nursing Scholarship.2020; 52(3): 292. CrossRef
Preventing Shift Work Disorder in Shift Health-care Workers Gabriele d’Ettorre, Vincenza Pellicani Safety and Health at Work.2020; 11(2): 244. CrossRef
Missed nursing care and related factors in Iranian hospitals: A cross‐sectional survey Zahra Chegini, Tohid Jafari‐Koshki, Marzieh Kheiri, Ali Behforoz, Saeedeh Aliyari, Udita Mitra, Sheikh Mohammed Shariful Islam Journal of Nursing Management.2020; 28(8): 2205. CrossRef
Investigating the Causes of Nursing Errors and Its Reduction Countermeasures in Recent Studies: A review Ali Salehi sahlabadi, Afsaneh Riazat, Sheari Sury, Negar Saffarinia, Zahra Damerchi, Mostafa Pouyakian Journal of Ergonomics.2020; 8(1): 74. CrossRef
Preventing the medication errors in hospitals: A qualitative study Alireza Salar, Fatemeh Kiani, Nasrin Rezaee International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences.2020; 13: 100235. CrossRef
Magnitude and associated factors of medication administration error among nurses working in Amhara Region Referral Hospitals, Northwest Ethiopia Enyew Getaneh Mekonen, Mignote Hailu Gebrie, Senetsehuf Melkamu Jemberie Journal of Drug Assessment.2020; : 1. CrossRef
Safety Assessment of the Pharmacotherapy Process at the Nurse and Midwife Level – An Observational Study
Medication Administration Errors and Associated Factors Among Nurses Dejene Tsegaye, Girma Alem, Zenaw Tessema, Wubet Alebachew International Journal of General Medicine.2020; Volume 13: 1621. CrossRef
Transgresiones y errores potenciales de medicación en estudiantes de enfermería en ambiente simulado Karen Dominguez-Cancino, Carola Bravo-Tare, Karen Vergara-Arias, Eliana Escudero Revista de Investigación de la Universidad Privada Norbert Wiener.2020; 8(1): 75. CrossRef
Medication administration – nursing workload and patient safety in clinical wards Ana Maria Müller de Magalhães, Angélica Kreling, Enaura Helena Brandão Chaves, Simone Silveira Pasin, Bárbara Motta Castilho Revista Brasileira de Enfermagem.2019; 72(1): 183. CrossRef
Frequency and potential causes of medication errors from nurses’ viewpoint in hospitals affiliated to a medical sciences University in Iran Bakhtiar Piroozi, Amjad Mohamadi-Bolbanabad, Hossein Safari, Mohammad Amerzadeh, Ghobad Moradi, Dalir Usefi, Arian Azadnia, Serajaddin Gray International Journal of Human Rights in Healthcare.2019;[Epub] CrossRef
Medication errors in hospitals in the Middle East: a systematic review of prevalence, nature, severity and contributory factors Binny Thomas, Vibhu Paudyal, Katie MacLure, Abdulrouf Pallivalapila, James McLay, Wessam El Kassem, Moza Al Hail, Derek Stewart European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.2019; 75(9): 1269. CrossRef
How Do Nurses Cope with Shift Work? A Qualitative Analysis of Open-Ended Responses from a Survey of Nurses Michael Savic, Rowan P. Ogeil, Megan J. Sechtig, Peta Lee-Tobin, Nyssa Ferguson, Dan I. Lubman International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.2019; 16(20): 3821. CrossRef
Patient safety awareness among 309 surgeons in Enugu, Nigeria: a cross-sectional survey Arinze Duke George Nwosu, Fidelis Anayo Onyekwulu, Elias Chikee Aniwada Patient Safety in Surgery.2019;[Epub] CrossRef
Period prevalence and reporting rate of medication errors among nurses in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis Behzad Karami Matin, Mohammad Hajizadeh, Bijan Nouri, Shahab Rezaeian, Masoud Mohammadi, Satar Rezaei Journal of Nursing Management.2018; 26(5): 498. CrossRef
Multi‐level analysis of national nursing students’ disclosure of patient safety concerns Alvisa Palese, Silvia Gonella, Luca Grassetti, Irene Mansutti, Anna Brugnolli, Luisa Saiani, Stefano Terzoni, Lucia Zannini, Anne Destrebecq, Valerio Dimonte Medical Education.2018; 52(11): 1156. CrossRef
Outcomes of a Drug Dosage Calculation Training Smartphone App on Learning Achievement, Metacognition, and Flow State According to Prior Knowledge Kyung Yeon Park, Myoung Soo Kim EURASIA Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education.2018;[Epub] CrossRef
Adapter-based Safety Injection System for Prevention of Wrong Route and Wrong Patient Medication Errors Yong Chan Cho, Seung Ho Lee, Yang Hyun Cho, Young Bin Choy Journal of Korean Medical Science.2017; 32(12): 1938. CrossRef