Comparing the Types, Causes, and Strategies of Medication Error Reduction From the Viewpoint of Nursing Teachers and Students of School of Nursing and Midwifery, Ahvaz, Iran

Drug order is an important patient care practice and also a life threatening event if not observed by the nurses.
The current study aimed at comparing the types, causes, and strategies of medication error reduction from the viewpoint of nursing teachers and students.
The current cross sectional study was conducted on nursing teachers (n = 20) and students (n = 80) of School of Nursing and Midwifery of Ahvaz, Iran, in 2017. The data collection tool was a researcher-made questionnaire, which its validity was assessed based on the viewpoint of 10 faculty members. The test-retest method was used to determine the reliability of the questionnaire. Data were analyzed with SPSS version 16 using descriptive and inferential statistics. The significant level was The results showed that majority of teachers (75%) observed at least once a medication error made by nursing students and 75.48% of nursing students reported commitment in medication errors more than once. The commonest type of medication error from the viewpoints of teachers (17.3%) was the wrong drug, and high speed infusion from the viewpoint of nursing students (16.49%). The main causes of medication errors from the viewpoint of teachers were inadequate drug information (4.95 ± 0.22), and carelessness and distraction from the viewpoints of nursing students (4.3 ± 0.77). The most drugs involved in such errors are cefazolin, gentamicin, and ranitidine, respectively. The best strategies to reduce medical errors from the viewpoints of teachers (20.89%) was the allocation of more time on the internship to develop drug information and dosages. The students (17.90%) believed that a course of pharmacology for nursing care can be helpful.
Discussion and Since medication errors are very evident from the viewpoint of nursing teachers and students, designing a curriculum to develop drug information and reduce such errors is essential.