Awareness, Practices, and Contributing Factors toward Medication Errors in Children among Pediatric Nurses

ABSTRACT Context: Medication errors are a global issue that poses a significant threat to patient safety and results in serious harm. Inconsistencies in drug formulations make children more susceptible to medication errors. Nurses have the primary responsibility of preventing medication errors in children. Aim: The aim of this study was to assess the awareness, practices, and contributing factors among pediatric nurses at a selected tertiary care hospital, Rishikesh. Setting and Design: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), India. Methods: One hundred and twenty nurses working in pediatric care units at a tertiary care hospital in Rishikesh were involved in the study. The participants were chosen using the total enumerative sampling technique in accordance with the inclusion criteria. A self-structured questionnaire and Likert scale was used to collect the data. Statistical Analysis: The collected data were analyzed using frequency, mean and standard deviation, Pearson correlation, Fisher’s exact test, and Chi-square test using the SPSS software version 26.0. Results: Majority (70%) of the pediatric nurses were moderately aware and most of them (80%) were practicing safely toward medication errors in children. The most common reason for medication errors in children was a lack of familiarity with look-alike and sound-alike drugs. Conclusion: The study findings revealed that awareness and practices toward reporting of medication errors in children among the pediatric nurses needs to be improved by establishing the guidelines and organizing in-service education programs, the incidence of medication errors in children can be reduced.