Nurses' perceptions of medication errors and their contributing factors in South Korea

Aim The aim of this study was to identify Korean nurses' perceptions of medication errors. Background Knowing nurses' perceptions of medication errors is important in developing prevention strategies for medication errors. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted. A convenient snowballed sample of 220 nurses from seven hospitals was obtained. Participants were asked to identify contributing factors of medication errors, reporting and strategies to prevent medication errors. Results A total of 224 of 330 (67.9%) questionnaires were returned. Over half (63.6%) of the participants had been involved in medication errors once or more in the past month. For factors contributing to medication errors, 99 nurses (45.0%) answered 'advanced drug preparation and administration without rechecking'. Only 13.5% of participants informed patients and their families of medication errors and 28.3% of participants submitted an incident report. Medication errors occurred most often during the day-shift. Conclusions Developing strategies to reduce nurses' fear of punishment and supporting nurses' attitudes in a constructive manner are needed. Implications for nursing management Effective strategies for nursing are needed, particularly during the day-shift, and during routine medication administration. In addition, non-punitive reporting systems of medication error should be established and patients should be included in reporting.