Medication errors and adverse event reporting

Hana Kubešová, Valérie Tóthová
University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, Institute of Nursing, Midwifery and Emergency Care, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

Korespondenční autor: Hana Kubešová (kubesova.hana@nemcb.cz)

ISSN 1804-7181 (On-line)

Full verze:

Submitted:13. 1. 2023
Accepted: 24. 3. 2023
Published online: 30. 6. 2023

Summary

The preparation and administration of medicinal products are a fundamental part of the healthcare industry, and the nurse’s role is crucial. The nurse is responsible for patient safety while preparing and administering medications, as medication errors can have severe and irreversible consequences for the patient. This review study aims to summarise research findings regarding nurses’ safe administration of medicinal products, possible risks, and reporting medication errors as adverse events. Reviews were searched in electronic databases focused on full-text sources for the past ten years (2012–2022). These databases were Medline, CINAHL, Bibliographia medica Čechoslovaca, Web of Science, PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The selected studies were searched using keywords: medication administration, medication administration risks, nurse, nursing process, medication administration risk management, quality of nursing care, safe medication administration, medication administration error, adverse event, drug, medication error, patient. Ten studies meeting the required criteria were included in the final review. Medication errors can only be reduced with a system-wide approach. Nurses’ knowledge of pharmacology, skills, and decision-making processes about safe drug administration procedures and practices are essential. Risk management in the field of medication is a primary part of the process settings in the organisation and a systemic approach to ensuring patient safety.

Keywords: Adverse event; Drug administration; Medication errors; Nurse; Risk management

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