Barriers to nurses' reporting of medication administration errors in Taiwan

To describe nurses' perceptions of reporting barriers to reporting medication administration errors (MAE) and to examine the relationship between the barriers to MAE reporting and cultural factors and nursing work environment in Taiwan.

A cross-sectional, descriptive correlational design with self-administered questionnaires was conducted in one large medical center hospital in southern Taiwan. The measurement tools included the Chinese versions of the Work Environment Questionnaire, Barriers to MAE Reporting, Index of Hierarchy of Authority, and Face-Concern scale. A mail survey of 807 nurses using the Total Design Method was implemented for data collection with 597 questionnaires used in data analyses.

The major perceived barrier was fear. Regression analysis showed that power hierarchy, face-saving concern, and work environment factors (e.g., quality management and peer relations) accounted for 54.6% variance in the barriers. Age, educational background, working experience, experience of having made MAEs, and failure to report MAEs were not associated with the barriers.

Taiwanese nurses perceived similar barriers to MAE reporting. The more power hierarchy and face-saving concern the nurses agreed on, the more barriers they perceived. The association between the barriers and nursing work environment was negative and weak.