Medication Administration Error of Nurses in Medical Ward, Maharat Nakhonratchasima Hospital.

Abstract

Human error in medication administration is a risky problem and can affect the patient outcome. It should be continuously corrected and prevented with systemic guidelines for being the most effective and highest quality service, most of all, for minimizing untoward effect to the patients. Aims: For preliminary evaluation of the diversity and magnitude of the error in medication administration by nurse in medical ward, Maharat Nakhonratchasima hospital. Methods: All nurses in Medical ward were recruited in the study. They were requested to fill the questionnare with the subjects concerning the frequency and severity of their own errors since they graduated. This study was perform in August, 2002. Results: General background of 136 from 155 nurses (87.7%) recruited were: 98.5% female, mean age 32.3±8.4 years, 73% Registered nurse, 27% Technicial nurse, duration of practice 10.0±7.8 years. Numerous errors were recorded as follow: doctor's order omitted/ doctor's order misunderstood/ drug card error 52-66%, medical admical administration with wrong dose/ wrong person/ drug given without doctor's order 42-91%. The average frequency of drug given without doctor's order was 30 times per year. 20% patients could not access some drugs because of poverty, average 30 times a year. In case of nasogastric tube feeding, misunderstood of medication adminis tration was 44-77%, Of 84.5% patients completely red all drugs ordered by doctors. Conclusion: Medication administration in Medical ward, Maharat Nakhonratchasima hospital has numerous problens even it was conducted by long experienced nurses. For solution of this problems; good communication and compliance among doctors, pharmacists and nurses are necesary, improvement of knowledge about dry information, drug administration must be continuously practiced. Furthermore there should be surveilance system for preventing and/or minimizing such errors.