Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2024 Dec 3;24(1):792.
doi: 10.1186/s12887-024-05269-x.

Investigating pediatric nurses' perceptions of factors contributing to MAEs at Yendi hospital, Ghana

Ruth Nimota Nukpezah  1 , Nathaniel Awenlesakba Anyaba  2 , Wahab Osman  3
Affiliations

Investigating pediatric nurses' perceptions of factors contributing to MAEs at Yendi hospital, Ghana

Ruth Nimota Nukpezah et al. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Medication administration errors (MAEs) are a critical concern in pediatric healthcare, contributing to adverse drug events (ADEs) and negatively impacting patient health.

Objectives: This study explores pediatric nurses' perceptions of factors contributing to MAEs at Yendi Municipal Hospital to develop interventions enhancing patient safety.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among 143 nurses at Yendi Municipal Hospital using structured questionnaires. Data were analysed using SPSS 26.0 and Excel 2016. Bivariate analysis examined relationships between socio-demographic characteristics and MAEs.

Results: Contributing factors to MAEs included inadequate training (91.6%), misunderstanding medical abbreviations (88.8%), poor supervision (92.3%), eagerness to sign out shifts (70.6%), improper handover (88.8%), inadequate staff (77.6%), dosage miscalculations (83.9%), and illegible handwriting (81.8%). Significant associations were found between MAEs and the type of unit/ward (X²=6.25, p = 0.012) and educational level (Fisher Exact test = 4.20, p = 0.036).

Conclusion: Inadequate training, poor supervision, and communication issues are major contributors to MAEs in pediatric settings. Targeted interventions can significantly improve patient safety and care quality.

Keywords: Ghana; Healthcare settings; Medication administration errors; Patient safety; Pediatric nurses.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and participant consent: The methods employed in this study complied with the regulations that govern human research’s ethical conduct and behavior, as outlined by the Belmont Report. The Ghana Health Service ethics committee granted permission for the research protocols with document number GHS-ERC069/03/22. All participants provided informed consent. Consent for publishing: Not relevant. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Appelbaum N, Clarke J, Feather C, Franklin B, Sinha R, Pratt P, et al. Medication errors during simulated paediatric resuscitations: a prospective, observational human reliability analysis. BMJ Open. 2019;9(11):e032686. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Conn RL, Kearney O, Tully MP, Shields MD, Dornan T. What causes prescribing errors in children? Scoping review. BMJ Open. 2019;9(8):e028680. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Stolic S, Ng L, Sheridan G. Electronic medication administration records and nursing administration of medications: an integrative review. Collegian. 2022.
    1. Innab A. The influence of individual and system factors on medication administration errors in acute care settings in Saudi Arabia. Saint Louis University; 2019.
    1. Härkänen M, Luokkamäki S, Saano S, Saastamoinen T, Vehviläinen-Julkunen K. Identifying risk areas of medication administration process for developing an interactive three-dimensional game intervention. CIN Comput Inf Nurs. 2020;38(10):524–33. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources