ASSESSING NURSES’ UNDERSTANDING AND IMPLICATION BEHAVIOR REGARDING MEDICATION ERRORS: IMPLICATIONS FOR PATIENT SAFETY IN TERTIARY HOSPITALS

Abstract

Background: Medication errors are a common problem in healthcare and can adversely affect patient health and safety. These errors may occur at any stage of the medication process, including prescribing, dispensing, administration, and monitoring, often resulting in adverse drug events. The high frequency of such errors highlights the importance of well-trained nurses, as strong awareness of drug administration enables them to play a key role in ensuring patient safety and improving the quality of care. Aims: To assess the nurses’ awareness and practices regarding medication errors in tertiary care hospitals. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among nurses belongs to different public sector hospitals within time frame of six months. A total 200 nurses were participated, selected through random sampling technique from those who were willing to give written consent and working on bedside. The nursing internees and nurses on the administrative positions and not working on bedside were excluded. The data was analyzed on the SPSS version 23.0 by using percentage, mean and standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA and chi square were applied with p-value < 0.05. Result: Among the 200 nurses, the majority were male (56%) and belonged to the 30–39 years age group (44%). Most participants held a Post RN BSN qualification (57.5%) and had more than 10 years of clinical experience (31.5%). In addition, 87% had not received any formal training on medication errors. The findings revealed that nurses demonstrated slightly higher total practice scores (Mean = 36.21, SD = 3.68) compared to total knowledge scores (Mean = 34.71, SD = 7.23) related to medication error management. Conclusion: The study concluded that most nurses possessed adequate practice related to medication errors management although the knowledge level was lower. Additionally, a large portion of nurses had not received formal training on medication errors, indicating a significant educational gap. Hence, continuous educational programs are required to enhance nurses’ knowledge and promote patient safety.