Medication errors in neonatal intensive care units: a multicenter qualitative study in the Palestinian practice

Area of Science:

• Medical Safety
• Pediatric Care
• Qualitative Research

Background:

• Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are high-risk environments for medication errors.
• Medication errors can cause significant harm to vulnerable neonates.
• Understanding these errors from healthcare providers' perspectives is crucial for improving safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe medication errors in Palestinian NICUs.
• To identify the types and stages of medication errors.
• To gather insights from healthcare professionals on medication safety.

Main Methods:

• Multicenter qualitative exploratory study.
• Semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 healthcare professionals (pediatricians/neonatologists and NICU nurses).
• Thematic analysis using a qualitative interpretive description approach.

Main Results:

• 41 distinct medication errors were reported by healthcare providers.
• Errors occurred during medication preparation/dilution/storage (e.g., calculation, dilution, storage, labeling).
• Errors also occurred during prescribing/administration (e.g., inappropriate medication, incorrect technique/dose) and monitoring.

Conclusions:

• Medication errors in Palestinian NICUs span preparation, administration, and monitoring stages.
• Further research is needed to quantify these errors and evaluate interventions.
• Improving medication safety in NICUs requires a comprehensive approach addressing all stages of the medication process.