Awareness of Medication Error, Medication Management and Prevention among Staff Nurses in IMS &Sum Hospital, Odisha

Abstract

Aims: The study aimed to assess the knowledge of staff nurses about medication error, prevention of medication error and its management.Background: Accomplishment of medical order and medication administration are the prominent part of nurse's job.Methods: A descriptive approach was under taken and data was collected in the month of March and April, 2014, from 100 staff nurses of IMS & SUM HOSPITAL.Results: A significant proportion of staff nurses (39%) believed that carefully reading of instruction and labeling of the drug before administrating can prevent medication error followed by heavy workload and high nurse/patient ratio(16%) and insufficient work experience(11%)due to huge turnover were mostly cited by nurses to prevent medication error.Conclusion: Medication administration is the basic function of nurse. So the nurses should be well equipped with skill and knowledge needed for error free medication.Implications for nursing management: Error free medication administration process requires a continuous educational initiative on medication error with regards to prevention of medication error and its reporting and the short-term course on medication error should be added in orientation class by every health care organization.