Factors influencing the incidence of medication errors: the perspective of nurses in teaching hospitals

Objective (s): Medication errors lead to the deaths of patients and reduce patient safety. This study aimed to investigate on factors influencing the incidence of medication errors, in Qazvin, Iran.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in year 2013 in Qazvin teaching hospitals. A sample of nurses were asked to participate in the study. The survey tool was a standard questionnaire containing two sections: demographic, and factors influencing of incidence of medication errors.

In all 204 nurses were studied. The average age and experience of nurses was 32 and 8.5 years, respectively. 87% of nurses were female and 13% were men. The mea score (from 1 to 5) for factors influencing the incidence of medication errors in nursing domains was fatigue caused by extra work (3.15) and not having enough time (2.94). In the area of department the mean score was 3.33 for high density work and 3.14 for the noise in department. For the administration domain, the mean score for lack of enough nursing personnel was 2.48 and for illegible medication orders it was also 2.48.

Interactions with nurses, proper management, adequate staffing, training, and appropriate reporting system can reduce many errors and promote patient safety in hospitals.