PREVALENCE AND PERCEIVED CAUSES OF UNREPORTED MEDICATION ERRORS AMONG NURSES IN A PUBLIC HOSPITAL IN SELANGOR

Abstract

Medication errors could bring serious consequences to patients. Reporting medication error is a strategy to mitigate such incidence from happening. Unfortunately, some nurses do no report the errors due to certain factors. Determining the factors influencing unreported medication errors will ensure imperative actions are taken to curb this issue. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence and perceived causes of unreported medication errors among nurses in a public hospital in Selangor. A descriptive and cross-sectional study was carried out in 26 wards from various disciplines and the sample involved 234 nurses. The data were gathered through self-reported questionnaires consisting of 3 sections. The first section covered demographic characteristics, the second section aimed to obtain information on the frequency of medication error incidents and the last section aimed to obtain information on nurses’ perceptions of barriers in reporting medication errors. The findings of this study indicated that there was a significant relationship between level of education and the nurses’ perceptions of barriers in reporting medication errors. The study recommended that providing enough education, initiating a non-punitive culture may help increase voluntary reporting of medication errors among nurses to strengthen the reporting system and to avert medication errors in the future.