Medication Error Essay

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INTRODUCTION Medication error occurs frequently in the world. Across Malaysia, 2572 cases of medication errors were reported and it was identified as the main adverse event issue that impacted patient outcomes in 2009 (New Straits Times 16 March 2010, p, 23). According to Fathi et al. (2014) a number of studies have reported the prevalence of medication errors in the ICU, but limited evidence is available regarding the cause(s) of these errors and whether these causes differ from those outside the ICU. Critically ill patients admitted to an ICU experience, on average, 1.7 medical errors each day, and many patients suffer a potentially life-threatening error during their stay (Rothchild et al. 2005). According to Pronovost, Thompson & Holzmueller, …show more content…

Indeed, there is still limited literature considering awareness of ME comprehensively and nurses perceived actions in medication error prevention, particularly in Malaysia. METHODOLOGY Design & setting This was a mixed-method study design, where a cross sectional survey was employed to survey four critical care units nurses (n96) and interview individually (n=3) within 2 month period in 2014. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics analysis and correlation analysis. Population and sampling Critical care nurses in four departments at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan, Pahang was targeted for the study. The units included ICU, PICU, Emergency Department and Pediatric. The study sample included 96 nurses, purposely selected from these four departments. Measurement Tool The measurement tool was a researcher-made questionnaire consisting of three parts. The first part consisted of demographic questions, the second part related to awareness on ME and the last part comprised of preventive measures. The reliability of the tool was examined using pre-test method; the questionnaire was administered to 20 subjects. A correlation of 96% between answers ensured sufficient reliability of the survey

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