Raising the awareness of inpatient nursing staff about medication errors

Objective The study objective was to design and implement an educational programme to raise the awareness of in-patient nursing staff about medication errors and other medication-related safety issues. Method A sample of in-patient nursing staff in Al Ain hospital (n = 370) was included in the study and completed a self-reported questionnaire about medication errors. A structured program was developed and used by the clinical pharmacists to identify the nursing knowledge on medication errors and other medication-related safety issues. The program consisted of a pre/post self-reported questionnaire, a training service, educational material, successive presentations and handouts. The self-reported questionnaire included twenty closed questions asking nurses opinions about medication errors. A training program on medication safety (Med Safe(R) tool) was carried out by [clinical pharmacy team (n = 2) and quality coordinator nurse (n = 1)], for each group of 10 nurses. Main outcome measure The study outcomes were the change in mean scores pre and post intervention. Results Findings revealed differences in the knowledge of nurses about the causes and reporting of medication errors. There were statistically significant differences in responses across the participant's years of experience and the current clinical working area. The participant's responses improved significantly [57.4% +/- 8.2, (95%CI: 56.6-58.2) vs. 68.9 +/- 10.3, (95%CI: 67.8-69.9); P < 0.05] pre and post questionnaire respectively. Conclusions The clinical pharmacist's structured program has improved knowledge of the in-patient nursing staff in terms of raising their awareness about medication errors.