Medication Errors in Nurses of Imam Khomeini Hospital of Saghez and its Related Factors

Medicine and its proper administration are one of the basic steps in nursing that requires use of knowledge, techniques, and skills. One of the most common medical errors is medication errors. The present study was conducted in order to assess medication errors and its relevant factors in nurses of Imam Khomeini Hospital of Saghez.

This descriptive analytical study was conducted on 210 nurses of Imam Khomeini Hospital of Saghez in 2018 using the census sampling method. Demographic form, the medication error and the Factor affecting medication error questionnaires were used in order to collect the data. Data were analyzed using the SPSS 16 software, descriptive statistics, T test, Chi-square and Fischer’s exact test when appropriate. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The results showed that 104 nurses had medication errors in the last six months and the rate of infusion was the most common medication errors among nurses. The amount of medication error had a correlation with work experience, overtime work, and the type of work shift. The results also showed that among dimensions affecting medication error, patient and condition of the ward, personal and psychological conditions, medicine and doctors gained the highest score.

According to the high prevalence of medication errors among nurses, and also involvement of dimensions affecting medication errors, such as patient and condition of the ward, and personal and psychological conditions, it is needed for managers to provide standard conditions, such as proportion of nurses to patients ratio and continues educations