Evaluation of Medication Errors from the Perspective of Nurses in the ICUs of Yazd City

Medication error is one of the most common errors in the medical context which has a great importance in the ICUs due to the patients’ inability and vulnerability in participating in the medication therapy. The aim of this study was to determine frequency, types, and reasons of medication errors in the ICUs.

This was a cross-sectional descriptive study, which was conducted on 105 nurses working in the ICUs located in hospitals of Yazd City in 2017 on the basis of census sampling method. The data were collected by means of the demographic and occupational questionnaire and the medication errors questionnaire whose content validity and reliability (Alpha Cronbachchr('39')s coefficient) have been approved The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and the Chi-square statistical test through SPSS software V.16.

The findings revealed that %66.7 of the nurses had medication errors. %40.6 of the nurses had made medication error only once, and 58.7% of the errors occurred during the night shift. As to the injectable medications, administrating nonprescription medications, making mistakes in dosage calculation, and giving medication after discontinuation were reported with higher frequencies. Regarding the injectable medications, paying no attention to interactions of concomitant drugs, making calculation mistakes, and administrating nonprescription medications were more frequent. Also, the nurses’ fatigue was reported as the first main cause of medication errors in this study.

Given the high frequency of medication errors) 66.7% in the last six months( particularly during the night shift as well as the nurses’ fatigue as the most important cause of the error incidences, it appears important that healthcare authorities and nursing managers take account of the approaches that enhance the nurses’ working conditions.