Knowledge and Attitudes Regarding Medication Errors among Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study in Major Jeddah Hospitals

• Main Authors: Alham Alandajani (Author), Bahariah Khalid (Author), Yee Guan Ng (Author), Maram Banakhar (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: MDPI AG, 2022-12-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.
• Notes: 10.3390/nursrep12040098; 2039-4403; 2039-439X
• Keywords: medication errors; patient safety; knowledge; attitude; nursing; cross-cultural; Nursing; RT1-120
• Source: Nursing Reports, Vol 12, Iss 4, Pp 1023-1039 (2022)

Medication error is a multifactorial problem that mainly involves missing or bypassing the administration, which may have life-threatening impacts on the patient. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of information on medication errors among nurses in Saudi Arabia. This study investigates the knowledge and attitudes toward medication errors and their associated factors among nurses in Saudi Arabia. A cross-sectional study was conducted in four major public hospitals by recruiting a total of 408 nurses using cluster random sampling and proportional stratified sampling techniques. Data were gathered using an online self-administered questionnaire from January to March 2022. Descriptive statistics, Chi-square tests, and binary logistic regression models were performed to analyze the data. The prevalence of medication error among the nurses was 72.1%, only 41.2% were reported, while wrong doses (46.9%) were the most common type of medication error. Approximately 55% and 50% of the respondents demonstrated good knowledge and a positive attitude toward medication errors, respectively. The prevalence of medication error was associated with age groups of less than 25, and 25-35 years old, King Fahad and King Abdulaziz hospitals, no history of attending an MER training course, poor knowledge, and negative attitude. These findings reflect a high prevalence of medication error among nurses in Saudi Arabia, and the factors identified could be considered in mitigating this important health problem.