Avoiding Medication Errors Caused by Nurses in the Emergency Department in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Medication errors are pervasive in healthcare, especially in emergency rooms, with diverse causes that warrant critical investigation due to the potential repercussions for both patients and healthcare providers.

Aim:  This research explores nurses' perspectives on medication errors in the emergency department.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design involved 96 nurses, using a questionnaire that covered demographic data and nurses' perceptions of error causes, reporting practices, and barriers.

Results: The average age of the nurses who participated in this study was 27.7 ± 3.4 years, with 7.3 ± 1.9 years of experience. Most nurses (87.2%) were women. The majority held bachelor's degrees (88.3%) and worked fixed shifts (54.2%), and 46.8% reported medication errors in the past year, primarily occurring once (69.04%). They reported no complications in 97.5% of errors.

Conclusion:

Common error types included infusion rate errors, double dosing, and medication omission. Although errors are widespread, adverse consequences are infrequent, mainly occurring during prescribing or administration stages. Encouraging disclosure by nurses and fostering positive responses from hospital management are crucial for enhancing patient safety. Awareness of recovery mechanisms informs potential interventions to minimise overall safety.