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Hemşireler tarafından yapılan ilaç hatalarının kök neden analizi ve bu hataların bildirilmesinin önündeki engeller: bir hastane örneği

Year 2025, Volume: 6 Issue: 5, 511 - 519, 24.10.2025

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışma, hemşirelerin mesleki uygulamaları sırasında ve son altı ay içinde yaşadıkları veya tanık oldukları ilaç hatası türlerini belirlemeyi amaçlamaktadır. Ayrıca bu hataların bildirilmesinin önündeki bireysel ve kurumsal engelleri tespit etmeyi ve kök neden analizi yoluyla temel nedenlerini ortaya çıkarmayı hedeflemiştir.
Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı ve kesitsel tipteki bu çalışma, Mayıs–Temmuz 2025 tarihleri arasında Türkiye’de bir üniversite hastanesinde yürütülmüştür. Yatan hasta kliniklerinde ve acil servislerde görev yapan toplam 144 hemşire, tabakalı rastgele örnekleme yöntemiyle seçilmiştir. Veriler, literatürden yararlanılarak geliştirilen yarı yapılandırılmış bir anket formu ile toplanmıştır. Verilerin analizinde tanımlayıcı istatistikler, ki-kare testi, Mann-Whitney U testi ve lojistik regresyon analizi kullanılmıştır.
Bulgular: Hemşirelerin neredeyse tamamı ilaç uygulama hatası yaptığını veya buna tanık olduğunu bildirmiştir. En sık görülen hata türleri doz atlama ve yan etkilerin izlenmemesidir. Yüksek iş yükü (%81,9), yorgunluk (%61,8) ve deneyim eksikliği (%45,8) başlıca nedenler olarak belirtilmiştir. Hemşirelerin yalnızca küçük bir kısmı bu hataları resmi olarak bildirmiştir. Hatanın ciddi olmadığı veya hasta üzerinde etkisi bulunmadığı inancı ile cezalandırılma korkusu, bildirim önündeki önemli engeller olarak belirlenmiş ve bu faktörlerin resmi bildirim yapma olasılığını anlamlı derecede azalttığı görülmüştür (p < 0,05).
Sonuç: Hemşireler arasında görülen ilaç hataları, bireysel ve sistemsel faktörlerin birleşiminden kaynaklanmaktadır. İlaç güvenliğini artırmak için istihdam, eğitim, destekleyici kurum kültürü ve hata bildirim sistemleri konularında iyileştirmeler yapılmalıdır. Bildirim oranlarını artırmak ve hasta güvenliğini geliştirmek için cezalandırıcı olmayan bir ortamın oluşturulması önem arz etmektedir.

References

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  • Aslan Y. Evaluation of medication-related medical error/event notifications according to WHO's International Classification for Patient Safety. J Health Sci Med. 2020;3(1):20-25. doi:10.32322/jhsm.612510
  • Leahy IC, Lavoie M, Zurakowski D, Baier AW, Brustowicz RM. Medication errors in a pediatric anesthesia setting: Incidence, etiologies, and error reduction strategies. J Clin Anesth. 2018;49:107-111. doi:10. 1016/j.jclinane.2018.05.011
  • Tariq RA, Vashisht R, Sinha A. Medication dispensing errors and prevention. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. 2025.
  • World Health Organization. Medication without harm: WHO global patient safety challenge–policy brief. World Health Organization. 2024. https://www.who.int/initiatives/medication-without-harm
  • Afolalu OO, Jordan S, Kyriacos U. Medical error reporting among doctors and nurses in a Nigerian hospital: a cross-sectional survey. J Nurs Manag. 2021;29(5):1007-1015. doi:10.1111/jonm.13238
  • Kellogg KM, Hettinger Z, Shah M, et al. Our current approach to root cause analysis: is it contributing to our failure to improve patient safety? BMJ Qual Saf. 2017;26(5):381-387. doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2016-005991
  • Driesen BEJM, Baartmans M, Merten H, et al. Root cause analysis using the prevention and recovery information system for monitoring and analysis method in healthcare facilities: a systematic literature review. J Patient Saf. 2022;18(4):342-350. doi:10.1097/PTS.0000000000000925
  • Singh G, Patel RH, Vaqar S. Root cause analysis and medical error prevention. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. 2025.
  • Baran Z, Korhan EA. Causes of nurse-related medication errors and current approaches to prevention: a systematic review. Genel Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi. 2023;5(1):58-76.
  • Tok Yıldız F, Yıldız İ. Evaluation of nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward medication administration errors. Turkish J Sci Health. 2020; 1(1):29-41.
  • Aygin D, Yaman Ö, Bitirim E. Medication errors: the case of an emergency department. Balıkesir Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi. 2020;9(2):75-82.
  • Uzuntarla E, Tural Büyük E. (2021). Nurses’ experiences of medication errors and their perceptions of error causes. Samsun Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi. 2021;6(3):641-654. doi:10.47115/jshs.1001431
  • Baştürk Külahlı H, Çınar Pakyüz S. Determining nurses’ tendencies to make medical errors and influencing factors. Ege Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Fakültesi Dergisi. 2024;40(1):91-101. doi:10.53490/egehemsire.1083338
  • Görücü S, Türk G. The relationship between medical error tendency and mindfulness levels of nursing students in Turkey: a descriptive and cross-sectional study. BMC Med Educ. 2025;25(1):363. doi:10.1186/s12909-025-06920-6
  • World Health Organization. Global burden of preventable medication-related harm in health care: a systematic review. World Health Organization. 2024. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240088887
  • Zeraatchi A, Talebian MT, Nejati A, Dashti-Khavidaki S. Frequency and types of the medication errors in an academic emergency department in Iran: the emergent need for clinical pharmacy services in emergency departments. J Res Pharm Pract. 2013;2(3):118-122. doi:10.4103/2279-042X.122384
  • Alrowily A, Alfaraidy K, Almutairi S, et al. High-risk medication errors: Insight from the UK National Reporting and learning system. Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm. 2024;17:100531. doi:10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100531
  • Ab Rahman N, Low EV, Kamaruddin F, et al. A retrospective study on prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes of transcribing error: analysis of data from the National Medication Error Reporting System in Malaysia. J Pharm Policy Pract. 2025;18(1):2528244. doi:10.1080/20523211.2025.2528244
  • Brabcová I, Hajduchová H, Tóthová V, et al. Reasons for medication administration errors, barriers to reporting them and the number of reported medication administration errors from the perspective of nurses: a cross-sectional survey. Nurse Educ Pract. 2023;70:103642. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103642
  • Schroers G, Ross JG, Moriarty H. Nurses' perceived causes of medication administration errors: a qualitative systematic review. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2021;47(1):38-53. doi:10.1016/j.jcjq.2020.09.010
  • Hosmer Jr DW, Lemeshow S, Sturdivant RX. Applied logistic regression. John Wiley & Sons. 2013.
  • Field A. Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage publications limited. 2024.
  • Bewick V, Cheek L, Ball J. Statistics review 14: logistic regression. Crit Care. 2005;9(1):112-118. doi:10.1186/cc3045
  • Triantafyllou C, Gamvrouli M, Myrianthefs P. Frequency of nursing student medication errors: a systematic review. medRxiv, 2023;2023-02. doi:10.1101/2023.02.26.23286460
  • Aseeri M, Al-Jazairi AS, Alahmari M, Al-Shehri M, Al-Saadi A, Alanazi M. Frequency and type of medication errors in pediatric wards. Saudi Pharmaceutical J. 2020;28(3):222-227. doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2020.01.005
  • Acheampong F, Anto BP, Koffuor GA. Medication safety in the emergency ward: Nurses’ views and practice. Int J Nurs Studies. 2016;60: 177-183. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2016.04.009
  • Büyük ET, Güdek E, Güney Z, Yıldırım S, Akkoca S. Chemotherapeutic drug administration mistakes experienced by nurses working in pediatric oncology units. J Pediatr Res.2024;1(2):56-60.
  • Salar A, Bahadori M, Jafari M, et al. Preventing the medication errors in hospitals: a qualitative study. Int J Africa Nurs Sci. 2020;13:100235.
  • World Health Organization. Medication errors: Technical series on safer primary care. World Health Organization. 2016. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/252274/9789241511643-eng.pdf
  • Alja Aljabari S, Kadhim A. Medical error reporting among healthcare professionals: barriers and strategies. Medical Archives. 2021;75(1):24-28. doi:10.1155/2021/6494889
  • Güllüdere HH, Ülkü Ü. Reasons why nurses do not report medical errors. Hacettepe University Faculty of Nursing Journal. 2019;6(2):93-103. doi:10.31125/hunhemsire.630786

Obstacles to root cause analysis and reporting of medication errors made by nurses: a hospital example

Year 2025, Volume: 6 Issue: 5, 511 - 519, 24.10.2025

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to identify the types of medication errors experienced or witnessed by nurses during their professional practice and in the past six months. It also sought to determine the individual and institutional barriers to reporting these errors and to identify the root causes through root cause analysis.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between May and July 2025 at a university hospital in Turkiye. A total of 144 nurses working in inpatient clinics and emergency departments were selected using stratified random sampling. Data were collected using a questionnaire developed based on the literature. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, Mann-Whitney U tests, and logistic regression analysis were used to analyze the data.
Results: Nearly all nurses reported having experienced or witnessed medication administration errors. The most common error types were missed doses and failure to monitor side effects. High workload (81.9%), fatigue (61.8%), and lack of experience (45.8%) were cited as major causes. Only a small portion formally reported these errors. Beliefs that the error was not serious or had no patient impact, and fear of punishment, were significant barriers to reporting (p<0.05). Logistic regression analysis revealed that such beliefs significantly reduced the likelihood of formal error reporting.
Conclusion: Medication errors among nurses are caused by a combination of individual and systemic factors. To improve medication safety, interventions must address staffing, training, supportive culture, and error-reporting systems. Establishing a non-punitive environment is essential for increasing reporting rates and enhancing patient safety.

Ethical Statement

Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the Clinical Research Ethics Committee of Ordu University (Date: 21.03.2025, Approval No: 2025/102).

Supporting Institution

NO

Thanks

No

References

  • Çakmak C, Konca M, Teleş M. (2018). Evaluation of medical errors through the Turkish National Safety Reporting System (GRS). Hacettepe Sağlık İdaresi Dergisi. 2018;21(3):423-448.
  • Aslan Y. Evaluation of medication-related medical error/event notifications according to WHO's International Classification for Patient Safety. J Health Sci Med. 2020;3(1):20-25. doi:10.32322/jhsm.612510
  • Leahy IC, Lavoie M, Zurakowski D, Baier AW, Brustowicz RM. Medication errors in a pediatric anesthesia setting: Incidence, etiologies, and error reduction strategies. J Clin Anesth. 2018;49:107-111. doi:10. 1016/j.jclinane.2018.05.011
  • Tariq RA, Vashisht R, Sinha A. Medication dispensing errors and prevention. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. 2025.
  • World Health Organization. Medication without harm: WHO global patient safety challenge–policy brief. World Health Organization. 2024. https://www.who.int/initiatives/medication-without-harm
  • Afolalu OO, Jordan S, Kyriacos U. Medical error reporting among doctors and nurses in a Nigerian hospital: a cross-sectional survey. J Nurs Manag. 2021;29(5):1007-1015. doi:10.1111/jonm.13238
  • Kellogg KM, Hettinger Z, Shah M, et al. Our current approach to root cause analysis: is it contributing to our failure to improve patient safety? BMJ Qual Saf. 2017;26(5):381-387. doi:10.1136/bmjqs-2016-005991
  • Driesen BEJM, Baartmans M, Merten H, et al. Root cause analysis using the prevention and recovery information system for monitoring and analysis method in healthcare facilities: a systematic literature review. J Patient Saf. 2022;18(4):342-350. doi:10.1097/PTS.0000000000000925
  • Singh G, Patel RH, Vaqar S. Root cause analysis and medical error prevention. In StatPearls [Internet]. StatPearls Publishing. 2025.
  • Baran Z, Korhan EA. Causes of nurse-related medication errors and current approaches to prevention: a systematic review. Genel Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi. 2023;5(1):58-76.
  • Tok Yıldız F, Yıldız İ. Evaluation of nurses’ knowledge and attitudes toward medication administration errors. Turkish J Sci Health. 2020; 1(1):29-41.
  • Aygin D, Yaman Ö, Bitirim E. Medication errors: the case of an emergency department. Balıkesir Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi. 2020;9(2):75-82.
  • Uzuntarla E, Tural Büyük E. (2021). Nurses’ experiences of medication errors and their perceptions of error causes. Samsun Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi. 2021;6(3):641-654. doi:10.47115/jshs.1001431
  • Baştürk Külahlı H, Çınar Pakyüz S. Determining nurses’ tendencies to make medical errors and influencing factors. Ege Üniversitesi Hemşirelik Fakültesi Dergisi. 2024;40(1):91-101. doi:10.53490/egehemsire.1083338
  • Görücü S, Türk G. The relationship between medical error tendency and mindfulness levels of nursing students in Turkey: a descriptive and cross-sectional study. BMC Med Educ. 2025;25(1):363. doi:10.1186/s12909-025-06920-6
  • World Health Organization. Global burden of preventable medication-related harm in health care: a systematic review. World Health Organization. 2024. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240088887
  • Zeraatchi A, Talebian MT, Nejati A, Dashti-Khavidaki S. Frequency and types of the medication errors in an academic emergency department in Iran: the emergent need for clinical pharmacy services in emergency departments. J Res Pharm Pract. 2013;2(3):118-122. doi:10.4103/2279-042X.122384
  • Alrowily A, Alfaraidy K, Almutairi S, et al. High-risk medication errors: Insight from the UK National Reporting and learning system. Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm. 2024;17:100531. doi:10.1016/j.rcsop.2024.100531
  • Ab Rahman N, Low EV, Kamaruddin F, et al. A retrospective study on prevalence, characteristics, and outcomes of transcribing error: analysis of data from the National Medication Error Reporting System in Malaysia. J Pharm Policy Pract. 2025;18(1):2528244. doi:10.1080/20523211.2025.2528244
  • Brabcová I, Hajduchová H, Tóthová V, et al. Reasons for medication administration errors, barriers to reporting them and the number of reported medication administration errors from the perspective of nurses: a cross-sectional survey. Nurse Educ Pract. 2023;70:103642. doi: 10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103642
  • Schroers G, Ross JG, Moriarty H. Nurses' perceived causes of medication administration errors: a qualitative systematic review. Jt Comm J Qual Patient Saf. 2021;47(1):38-53. doi:10.1016/j.jcjq.2020.09.010
  • Hosmer Jr DW, Lemeshow S, Sturdivant RX. Applied logistic regression. John Wiley & Sons. 2013.
  • Field A. Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. Sage publications limited. 2024.
  • Bewick V, Cheek L, Ball J. Statistics review 14: logistic regression. Crit Care. 2005;9(1):112-118. doi:10.1186/cc3045
  • Triantafyllou C, Gamvrouli M, Myrianthefs P. Frequency of nursing student medication errors: a systematic review. medRxiv, 2023;2023-02. doi:10.1101/2023.02.26.23286460
  • Aseeri M, Al-Jazairi AS, Alahmari M, Al-Shehri M, Al-Saadi A, Alanazi M. Frequency and type of medication errors in pediatric wards. Saudi Pharmaceutical J. 2020;28(3):222-227. doi:10.1016/j.jsps.2020.01.005
  • Acheampong F, Anto BP, Koffuor GA. Medication safety in the emergency ward: Nurses’ views and practice. Int J Nurs Studies. 2016;60: 177-183. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2016.04.009
  • Büyük ET, Güdek E, Güney Z, Yıldırım S, Akkoca S. Chemotherapeutic drug administration mistakes experienced by nurses working in pediatric oncology units. J Pediatr Res.2024;1(2):56-60.
  • Salar A, Bahadori M, Jafari M, et al. Preventing the medication errors in hospitals: a qualitative study. Int J Africa Nurs Sci. 2020;13:100235.
  • World Health Organization. Medication errors: Technical series on safer primary care. World Health Organization. 2016. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/252274/9789241511643-eng.pdf
  • Alja Aljabari S, Kadhim A. Medical error reporting among healthcare professionals: barriers and strategies. Medical Archives. 2021;75(1):24-28. doi:10.1155/2021/6494889
  • Güllüdere HH, Ülkü Ü. Reasons why nurses do not report medical errors. Hacettepe University Faculty of Nursing Journal. 2019;6(2):93-103. doi:10.31125/hunhemsire.630786
There are 32 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Fundamentals of Nursing, Patient Safety
Journal Section Research Articles [en] Araştırma Makaleleri [tr]
Authors

Ayten Kaya 0000-0002-7684-3675

Yasemin Temiz Marangoz 0000-0001-9841-8699

Publication Date October 24, 2025
Submission Date August 10, 2025
Acceptance Date September 21, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Volume: 6 Issue: 5

Cite

AMA Kaya A, Temiz Marangoz Y. Obstacles to root cause analysis and reporting of medication errors made by nurses: a hospital example. J Med Palliat Care / JOMPAC / jompac. October 2025;6(5):511-519.

TR DİZİN ULAKBİM and International Indexes (1d)

Interuniversity Board (UAK) Equivalency: Article published in Ulakbim TR Index journal [10 POINTS], and Article published in other (excuding 1a, b, c) international indexed journal (1d) [5 POINTS]



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