Examining Medication Administration Errors and Affecting Factors Among Emergency Healthcare Workers
Abstract
Aim: Medication administration errors are a significant problem in emergency departments, which are high-risk environments for medication safety. The study aimed to examine the factors affecting medication administration errors among emergency healthcare workers.
Material and Method: The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted with 144 healthcare workers in the emergency departments of nine private hospitals in Istanbul. Data were collected through a self-administered questionnaire.
Results: In the last 12 months, 20.84% made a medication administration error. Compared with those having five or more years of professional experience, workers with six months to two years of experience (OR=199.31; 95% CI=20.93-1897.45; p<0.001) and those with two to four years of experience (OR=23.13; 95% CI=3.47-154.11; p=0.001) had significantly higher odds of making an error. Reporting a medication administration error was associated with lower odds of having made an error (OR=0.13; 95% CI: 0.02–0.61; p=0.010). Each one-point increase in the Medication and Transfusion Practices Subscale was associated with a 22% reduction in the odds of making an error (OR=0.78; 95% CI=0.70-0.86; p<0.001).
Conclusion: Greater professional experience, reporting medication administration errors, and lower error tendency in medication and transfusion practices were associated with reduced likelihood of errors. Developing new graduates’ awareness of medication administration errors, improving patient safety culture, and implementing emergency department-specific regulations are recommended.
Keywords
Emergency nursing, Emergency medical technicians, Hospital emergency service, Patient safety, Medication errors.
Ethical Statement
Ethical approval was received for this research from Istanbul Medipol University Social Sciences Scientific Research Ethics Committee (Date: 07.10.2021, Decision No: 100).
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