Pediatric Nurses' Perceptions of Medication Safety and Medication Error: A Mixed Methods Study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Nursing
• Medication Safety
• Healthcare Workplace Culture

Background:

• Nurses play a critical role in medication administration.
• Understanding nurses' perceptions of medication errors is crucial for developing effective prevention strategies.
• Previous research on medication safety has been limited in scope and methodology.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore nurses' perceptions of factors contributing to medication administration errors in a pediatric medical ward.
• To outline the current workplace culture surrounding medication practice.
• To identify barriers to safe medication administration.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods approach was used, including direct observation of medication processes.
• Audits of medication policy compliance and focus groups with nursing staff were conducted.
• Thematic analysis of qualitative data and descriptive statistics for audit data were employed.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: understanding medication errors, nurse workload and interruptions, physical environment, and policy compliance.
• Identified barriers include high workload, frequent interruptions, inadequate physical environment, and impractical policies.
• These factors significantly impact safe medication practice.

Conclusions:

• Organizational review of medication policies and increased nurse engagement in safety research and guideline design are necessary.
• Addressing environmental and workload factors is essential for improving medication safety.
• Implementing practical, nurse-informed guidelines can enhance medication administration.