Assessing Nurses' Knowledge of Medication Errors: A Descriptive Study

Abstract

Medication errors are the subject of much research and of great concern to health care providers. A number of studies have been done on medication errors; however, there are areas that are yet to be understood. The purpose of the study is to increase understanding of medication errors and assess the level of awareness of medication errors.

A descriptive study was conducted among nurses in a hospital in Nigeria. The setting is currently the major research facility in Rivers State. A total of 312 Nurses were selected using consecutive sampling method. Instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire. Study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the study setting. A total of 270 nurses completed the questionnaire but only 259 (95.9%) out of 312 administered copies were suitable for analysis. Descriptive statistic was used to analyse data.

The study revealed that there are differences in the level of awareness of Medication Errors and existing Medication Errors reporting systems among nurses. All (100%) the respondents had good knowledge of Medication Errors. Only 195 (75.3%) are aware that Medication Errors should be reported while 115 (44.4) % are aware of existing institutional/departmental medication error reporting system and how to report in the hospital.

In conclusion, adequate knowledge is critical to establishing nurses’ awareness of medication errors and existing reporting systems.

Keywords: medication errors, nurses, knowledge, reporting system