A survey and multilevel analysis of nursing unit tenure diversity and medication errors

This empirical research aimed to identify relationships between nurses' unit tenure, nursing unit tenure diversity and medication errors.

Research examining medication errors has paid little attention to the effects of multilevel precursors.

In total, 567 registered nurses (from 36 nursing units) completed a survey questionnaire at a university hospital during September 2012. Of these, 334 (completed by nurses from 22 nursing units) were eligible for multilevel analysis.

The average frequency of self-reported medication errors per registered nurse in the preceding 6 months was 0.98. Multilevel analysis showed that medication errors were significantly negatively associated with nurses' unit tenure at individual level (B = -0.64, P = 0.002) and nursing unit tenure diversity at unit level (B = -0.69, P < 0.001). Furthermore, nursing unit tenure diversity moderated the relationship between nurses' unit tenure and medication errors (B = 0.48, P = 0.012).

This study provided evidence indicating that novice nurses made a higher number of medication errors relative to experienced nurses, and that including a mixture of novice and experienced nurses in a nursing unit attenuated novice nurses' medication errors.

The development of staffing strategies that enhance nursing unit tenure diversity is required.