Evaluating medical errors made by nurses during their diagnosis, treatment and care practices

The aim of this study was to determine whether the nurses committed medical errors and to identify the types of and reasons for the medical errors.

Medical errors have recently emerged as a significant issue both in Turkey and around the world because they result in the death and disability of a number of people each year.

This study was a descriptive study.

The study was conducted with 1092 nurses working at a university hospital, 12 public hospitals and a private hospital in Trabzon.

Twenty-two per cent of the nurses stated that they had made medical errors endangering patient safety, and 4% stated that their medical errors had injured a patient. Of the nurses who made a medical error, 10% indicated that a patient's treatment was delayed and 6% stated that the patient experienced side effects. In addition, 23% of the nurses stated that they had committed medical errors such as delaying/not administering a patient's treatment and 20% stated that they had made medical errors such as using instruments without first checking them. Eighty-three per cent of the nurses stated that they had committed a medical error due to fatigue, 82% were reported to be caused by the hospital's administration due to the limited number of nurses on duty and 75% were caused by physicians and other medical personnel due to a lack of communication.

Two of five nurses had committed a medical error throughout their career; these errors were due to fatigue, a limited number of nurses and communication problems, and patients were harmed because of these errors.

The results of this study could be used to take precautions against nursing medical errors in Turkey and to enhance institutional policies and activities regarding medical errors and patient safety.