Barriers to reporting medication errors: a measurement equivalence perspective.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Health Services Research
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Patient safety is paramount in healthcare.
• Accurate measurement of medication administration errors is crucial for improving safety.
• Existing survey instruments require rigorous validation for diverse nursing populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a statistical analysis for testing measurement equivalence of a patient safety survey.
• To evaluate the Medication Administration Error Reporting Survey's reliability across different nurse experience levels.

Main Methods:

• A random sample of 435 registered nurses in Texas completed the survey.
• The Medication Administration Error Reporting scale (16 items) was analyzed.
• Multiple Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used on calibration and holdout samples, comparing models across nurse tenure groups.

Main Results:

• The factor structure of the Medication Administration Error Reporting System was supported.
• Measurement equivalence of the scale varied across nursing groups with different experience levels.
• Mixed results were observed regarding the consistency of the measure across these groups.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a methodology for assessing survey instrument measurement equivalence.
• The Medication Administration Error Reporting scale may not yield equivalent results for nurses with differing experience.
• Further validation is needed to ensure reliable patient safety data across all nursing cadres.