Medication errors and associated factors among pediatric inpatients in public hospitals of gamo zone, southern Ethiopia

BACKGROUND: Medication errors are the most common medical errors in the world. In particular, pediatric patients are more susceptible to severe injuries and death. Despite their multidimensional impact, medication errors are not recognized well in developing nations, including Ethiopia. Thus, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of medication errors and associated factors among pediatric inpatients in public hospitals of Gamo zone, southern Ethiopia. METHODS: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 416 pediatric inpatients from August 1, 2020, to February 30, 2021. Open data kit tools and Stata version 16.0 were used for data collection and analysis, respectively. Bivariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify factors associated with medication errors. An adjusted odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was computed and a P-value of <0.05 in the multivariable analysis was set to declare statistical significance. RESULTS: Overall, 69.5% (95% CI: 64.80, 73.86) of pediatric inpatients experienced medication errors. Unsuitable working environment (aOR: 2.40, 95% CI: 1.48, 3.91), child weight <5 Kg (aOR: 3.72, 95% CI: 1.79, 7.73), medication administered by diploma professionals (aOR: 2.10, 95% CI: 1.31, 3.36), parent involvement (aOR: 0.55, 95% CI: 0.33, 0.95), non-adherence with medication administration rights (aOR: 2.68, 95% CI: 1.32, 5.44) and hospital stay for >5 days (aOR: 1.83, 95% CI: 1.15, 2.93) were significantly associated with medication errors. CONCLUSION: Medication errors were high among pediatric inpatients as compared to previous national studies. To reduce the occurrences of medication errors, it is critical to create a suitable working environment, arrange education and training opportunities for providers, involve families in the medication administration process, and strictly adhere to medication administration rights.