Differences in perioperative medication errors with regard to organization characteristics

RESEARCHERS CONDUCTED a descriptive, comparative, secondary analysis using a national database to investigate differences in perioperative medication error characteristics with regard to organization characteristics. PERIOPERATIVE MEDICATION ERROR records reported to the MEDMARX database between Sept 1, 1998, and Aug 31, 2003, were examined (N = 5,210), and variables were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Statistically significant differences were found for three out of four research questions. THE STUDY'S FINDINGS provide a foundation for perioperative medication error analysis and serve as a starting point for organizations to begin investigating the medication error problem in their facilities.