<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec>
<h3>Objective</h3>
<p>To evaluate the level of understanding (knowledge), beliefs (attitude), and behavior (practice) of staff nurses toward medication errors (MEs).</p>
</sec>
<sec>
<h3>Methods</h3>
<p>Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to nursing professionals who had at least 1 year of work experience. Each questionnaire contained 19 items assessing “knowledge,” “attitude,” and “practice” attributes toward MEs.</p>
</sec>
<sec>
<h3>Results</h3>
<p>Responses from 47 nursing respondents were included for the final analysis. The mean knowledge score was 3.8 ± 1.1 (out of 6); 66% and 79% of the respondents had awareness of medication reporting systems and interventions in preventing MEs, respectively. Lack of adequate knowledge in recognizing MEs (<italic>P</italic> = 0.003), or presuming MEs are not as important enough to be reported (<italic>P</italic> = 0.002), was considered as the major reason for under-reporting of MEs. Nurses with higher knowledge score were against administration of medication through a different route than that prescribed by the physician (<italic>P</italic> = 0.023), and tried to rectify an ME (<italic>P</italic> = 0.020) and stayed with the patient until an oral medication had been swallowed (<italic>P</italic> = 0.037).</p>
</sec>
<sec>
<h3>Conclusions</h3>
<p>The nursing professionals were aware of the ME reporting system and methods to prevent the occurrence of MEs. They also exhibited a positive attitude and followed optimal practices in controlling MEs.</p>
</sec>
</abstract>

Objective
To evaluate the level of understanding (knowledge), beliefs (attitude), and behavior (practice) of staff nurses toward medication errors (MEs).


Methods
Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to nursing professionals who had at least 1 year of work experience. Each questionnaire contained 19 items assessing “knowledge,” “attitude,” and “practice” attributes toward MEs.


Results
Responses from 47 nursing respondents were included for the final analysis. The mean knowledge score was 3.8 ± 1.1 (out of 6); 66% and 79% of the respondents had awareness of medication reporting systems and interventions in preventing MEs, respectively. Lack of adequate knowledge in recognizing MEs (P = 0.003), or presuming MEs are not as important enough to be reported (P = 0.002), was considered as the major reason for under-reporting of MEs. Nurses with higher knowledge score were against administration of medication through a different route than that prescribed by the physician (P = 0.023), and tried to rectify an ME (P = 0.020) and stayed with the patient until an oral medication had been swallowed (P = 0.037).


Conclusions
The nursing professionals were aware of the ME reporting system and methods to prevent the occurrence of MEs. They also exhibited a positive attitude and followed optimal practices in controlling MEs.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices related to medication errors among nursing professionals: a questionnaire-based study in a tertiary care hospital

Frontiers of Nursing

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Objective
To evaluate the level of understanding (knowledge), beliefs (attitude), and behavior (practice) of staff nurses toward medication errors...

Knowledge, attitude, and practices related to medication errors among nursing professionals: a questionnaire-based study in a tertiary care hospital

Article Category: Original Article

Published Online: Dec 18, 2023

Page range: 457 - 463

Received: Dec 21, 2022

Accepted: Feb 02, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fon-2023-0048

Keywords
administration errors, dispensing errors, medication errors, nurses, transcription errors

© 2023 Vishal Raja et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Knowledge, attitude, and practices related to medication errors among nursing professionals: a questionnaire-based study in a tertiary care hospital

Article Category: Original Article

Published Online: Dec 18, 2023

Page range: 457 - 463

Received: Dec 21, 2022

Accepted: Feb 02, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fon-2023-0048

Keywordsadministration errors, dispensing errors, medication errors, nurses, transcription errors

© 2023 Vishal Raja et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
administration errors, dispensing errors, medication errors, nurses, transcription errors