Prevalence of intravenous medication administration errors: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Intravenous medication administration errors (MAEs) may be accompanied by avoidable undesirable effects, which might result in clinical complications. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of MAEs and to identify the factors associated with such errors. METHODS: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from March to April 2015. Data were collected by direct observation using a pretested data collection tool. Simple random sampling was used, and bivariate logistic regression model was used to identify the factors associated with MAEs. P value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: A total of 134 patients were found to be eligible for the study. More than half of the study participants were males (76 [56.7%]). The rate of MAE was 46.1%, with the missed dose (n=162, 95.8%) being reported as the most common error. The age groups of 60–79 years (adjusted odds ratio = 2.166, confidence interval = 1.532–8.799) and 80–101 years (adjusted odds ratio = 1.52, confidence interval = 1.198–5.584) were the determinants of MAEs. CONCLUSION: A high prevalence of MAEs was found. Enhancing the knowledge and practical skills of clinical nurses might minimize such errors.