Analysis of the Incidence and Factors Influencing Medication Administration Errors Among Nurses: A Retrospective Study.

Abstract

Aims: To explore the incidence and factors influencing medication administration errors (MAEs) among nurses.

Background: Medication administration is a global concern for patient safety. Few studies have assessed the incidence of MAEs or explored factors that considered the interplay between behaviour, the individual and the environment.

Methods: This retrospective study included 342 MAEs reported in the electronic nursing adverse event reporting system between January 2019 and September 2023 at a university-affiliated teaching hospital in China. Data on nurses' demographics and medication administration were extracted from the nursing adverse event reports. The reports were classified according to the severity of patient harm. The causes of the 342 MAEs were retrospectively analysed using content analysis based on Bandura's social cognitive theory. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the proportion of medication errors and the distribution of subcategories.

Results: In total, 74.3% of MAEs were adverse events owing to mistakes and resulted in no harm or only minor consequences for patients. Nurses aged 26-35 years and those with 6-10 years of experience were the most common groups experiencing MAEs. Factors influencing MAEs included personal ('knowledge and skills' and 'physical state'), environmental ('equipment and infrastructure,' 'work settings' and 'workload and workflow') and behavioural ('task performance' and 'supervision and communication') factors. The study further highlighted the interrelationships among personal, behavioural and environmental factors.

Conclusion: Multiple factors influence MAEs among nurses. Nurse-related MAEs and the relationship between behaviours, individual factors and the environment, as well as ways to reduce the occurrence of MAEs, should be considered in depth.

Relevance to clinical practice: Understanding the factors influencing MAEs can inform training programs and improve the clinical judgement of healthcare professionals involved in medication administration, ultimately improving patient prognoses and reducing MAEs.

Patient or public contribution: The findings can help develop clinical guidelines for preventing MAEs.