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Characteristics of medication errors made by students during the administration phase: a descriptive study
Zane Robinson Wolf1, Rodney Hicks, Joanne Farley Serembus
1La Salle University School of Nursing, Philadelphia, PA 19141, USA.
Summary
Nursing students
Area of Science:
- Nursing Education
- Patient Safety
- Medication Administration
Background:
- Nursing faculty focus on teaching safe medication administration and dose calculation skills.
- Despite training, nursing students commit medication errors, with limited understanding of their attributes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the characteristics of medication errors made by nursing students during drug administration.
- To analyze student medication errors reported to the MEDMARX database.
Main Methods:
- Descriptive, retrospective, secondary analysis of 1,305 student-made medication errors from the MEDMARX database.
- Focus on errors during the administration phase of medication use.
Main Results:
- Less than 3% of errors resulted in patient harm.
- Most common errors were omissions, followed by incorrect dosage.
- Primary cause: student performance deficits; contributing factors: inexperience, distractions.
- Antimicrobials were the most frequent drug class; insulin was the most frequent single drug.
Conclusions:
- Student medication administration errors may be more common than previously thought.
- Curriculum revisions incorporating medication safety throughout nursing courses are recommended.