Title: Medication errors: A diverse perspective from the healthcare team
Abstract:
Medication errors remain prevalent globally amidst being a preventable event. These errors have been considered a serious dilemma that poses significant risks and clinical complications to patient safety, occurring at various stages of the medication process. Thus, the study aimed to explore the contributing factors to medication errors from different perspectives within the healthcare team. A qualitative exploratory research design and purposive sampling were used in conducting the study. This involved two (2) doctors, three (3) staff nurses, four (4) clinical instructors, and five (5) student nurses. The data was gathered through semi-structured interviews that took place at the University of the Cordilleras and its affiliation hospitals. The findings revealed that poor competency, poor supervision, poor collaboration, poor hospital medication system, drug packaging, and hospital management are the contributing factors to medication errors. These factors collectively increase the risk of such errors and may directly lead to patient harm. This study provides contextual knowledge on how each member of the healthcare team distinctly perceives the factors leading to medication errors, providing information into the systemic and individual factors that contribute to such errors in clinical practice. The findings of the study serve as qualitative evidence of the factors causing this existing prevalent issue. The findings may serve as a basis for crafting prevention strategies for medication errors that can be integrated into the nursing academe and healthcare setting. The findings may also provide a basis for enhancing safety measures to promote patient care and uphold trust in the healthcare system.
