A Systematic Review of Nurses Perceptions of Medication Errors
Disciplines
Health and Medical Administration | Other Nursing | Quality Improvement
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Background: Medication errors are an international problem that is still prevalent in healthcare. They can occur at any process during medication transcription, preparation, and administration. These errors can be harmful and fatal to patients. That being said, nurses are the last lifeline to correct this error before the medication is given to the patient. This creates a unique, critical situation everytime a nurse goes to give a medication as they carry the weight of any previous errors and their own mistakes not being corrected. Much of the current research focuses on how medication errors occur and some interventions, such as the electronic medical record, that were taken to correct those, but there are few comprehensive reviews about the nurses’ perception. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to determine how nurses perceive medication errors. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using MEDLINE complete, CINAHL, Consumer Health Complete - EBSCOHost, so that the most relevant research could be presented. Results/Conclusion: After reviewing the articles, the way nurses perceive medication errors tends to vary greatly, especially given that they work on different units and at different hospitals that have unique cultures and environments. It was found that in some cases, the nurses felt they were supported and respected after the incident, while in others they were not. Many nurses also felt some errors were not that significant as they differed from the medication policies that they believed were restrictive, and they thought that their experience with medication administration brought better practices.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
WCHHS - Nursing
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Mary Ramos
A Systematic Review of Nurses Perceptions of Medication Errors
Background: Medication errors are an international problem that is still prevalent in healthcare. They can occur at any process during medication transcription, preparation, and administration. These errors can be harmful and fatal to patients. That being said, nurses are the last lifeline to correct this error before the medication is given to the patient. This creates a unique, critical situation everytime a nurse goes to give a medication as they carry the weight of any previous errors and their own mistakes not being corrected. Much of the current research focuses on how medication errors occur and some interventions, such as the electronic medical record, that were taken to correct those, but there are few comprehensive reviews about the nurses’ perception. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to determine how nurses perceive medication errors. Methods: A systematic review was conducted using MEDLINE complete, CINAHL, Consumer Health Complete - EBSCOHost, so that the most relevant research could be presented. Results/Conclusion: After reviewing the articles, the way nurses perceive medication errors tends to vary greatly, especially given that they work on different units and at different hospitals that have unique cultures and environments. It was found that in some cases, the nurses felt they were supported and respected after the incident, while in others they were not. Many nurses also felt some errors were not that significant as they differed from the medication policies that they believed were restrictive, and they thought that their experience with medication administration brought better practices.