Nurses' perceptions of how physical environment affects medication errors in acute care settings.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Nursing is physically and psychologically demanding, increasing burnout and stress.
• Poorly designed hospital workspaces can lead to medical errors, including medication errors.
• Existing literature suggests environmental improvements can reduce staff stress, but empirical links to medication errors are lacking.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine nurses' perceptions of how the physical hospital environment influences medication errors.
• To identify specific environmental factors contributing to medication and other nursing errors.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 84 nursing staff across four hospitals in the Pacific Northwest.
• The survey assessed nursing unit design, medication room configuration, and perceived error incidence.

Main Results:

• Nurses identified several problematic physical environmental factors.
• These include inadequate space, long walking distances, poor visibility, small medication rooms, disorganized supplies, high noise, poor lighting, and lack of privacy.

Conclusions:

• Physical environmental factors significantly impact medication and documentation errors.
• Healthcare administrators should consider environmental interventions for comprehensive strategies to reduce medication errors.