FREQUENCY AND EFFECTIVE FACTORS ON REPORTING MEDICATION ERRORS OF NURSES WORKING IN TEACHING HOSPITALS OF GOLESTAN PROVINCE

Medication errors are among the most common accidents in the nursing profession. The primary and natural consequence of such errors will be an increase in the hospitalization duration and an increase in costs, which in some cases can lead to severe injury and even death of the patient. This study aimed to determine the frequency and effective factors on reporting medication errors in nurses.

This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in Golestan province teaching hospitals. 340 nurses working in the hospitals were included in the study by random sampling method. Data were collected using demographic questionnaire as well as questionnaires on the frequency of medication errors and effective factors in reporting medication errors, and then analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods by SPSS-23 software.

The frequency of medication errors in the nurses in the second half of the year 2021 was 87.1%. formal reporting of medication errors was 7.1% and informal reporting was 18.2%. From the nurses’ view, among the factors affecting medication errors the highest scores were related to individual and mental condition errors, management process, patient and ward error, medication and physician errors, and finally nurses' professional errors.

The three areas of factors related to the nurse, ward, and management should be considered by the managers of the respective hospitals in cooperation with the hospital matrons. If these factors are eliminated, the employees will report work errors accurately and will fully follow up their errors.