Medication administration errors and contributing factors: A cross sectional study in two public hospitals in Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Introduction: Medication administration errors (MAEs) are among the top common causes of injuries to the hospitalized patients. Nurses play a pivotal role in the prevention as well as occurrence of MAEs. Aims: This study aims to quantify the prevalence of MAEs, to assess the degree of reporting MAEs, and to identify the contributory factors to MAEs. Methods: This study used an institution-based, cross-sectional study design. A pretested, structured, self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 130 nurses. The nurses were also observed while administering medications continuously for 48 h by using a semi-structured, pretested checklist. The data were processed descriptively and analytically; bivariate and multivariate logistic regressions were computed to identify the factors contributing to MAEs. Results: Just over 71% of the respondents admitted to have made MAEs in the previous 12 months. Only one (0.7%) of the 139 observed doses was properly administered. Factors like looking-like drugs (AOR = 10.661, 95% CI: 1.808, 62.869), and distraction (AOR = 5.615, 95% CI: 1.713, 18.403) were significantly associated with the MAEs. Three-fourths of those nurses who perpetrated MAEs also admitted to have not reported the MAEs. The unavailability of a system (AOR = 5.083, 95% CI: 1.842, 14.027), and fear (AOR = 4.422, 95% CI: 1.584, 12.349) were the factors that contributed significantly to the underreporting of the MAEs. Conclusion: MAEs were common in the hospitals. Factors like looking-like drugs and distraction contributed significantly to the MAEs. Majority of the MAEs were not reported. Keywords: Errors, Cross-sectional, Factors, Nurses, Reporting