Factors associated with the medication errors committed by staff nurses in selected hospitals in the City of Roxas

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the factors associated with the number of medication errors committed by staff nurses in selected hospitals in Roxas City. The factors explored include the knowledge on the rights of medication administration, the medication administration practices and selected personal and work- related characteristics of the respondents. This is a descriptive-relational study which employed a one-shot survey research design. Data were collected from 195 staff nurses in hospitals in Roxas City using a researcher-made questionnaire. Analysis of data involved both descriptive and inferential statistics. Data were processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 software. The analysis involved the use of frequency count, percentage distribution and mean for descriptive analysis. To test for the relationship between variables, Pearson’s r and Chi-square were used. The findings showed that the staff nurses are highly knowledgeable on the rights of medication administration, have good medication administration practices, and sometimes commit medication errors. There was no significant relationship between the knowledge on the rights of medication administration and the number of medication errors committed. There was a significant relationship between medication administration practices and the number of medication errors committed. Educational administration practices and the number of medication errors committed. Educational attainment was found to be inversely related with the number of medication errors committed by the nurses. A significant relationship was also found between modalities of nursing care and the number of medication errors committed. A significant relationship was also found between shift assignment and the number of medication errors committed. Based on the findings of this study, it is safe to conclude that the number of medication errors committed by nurses is affected by educational attainment, modalities of nursing care, shift assignment, and medication administration practices.