MEDICATION ERROR

Medication errors are complex issues that primarily entail forgetting to provide a medication or avoiding it
altogether, which can have potentially fatal consequences for the patient. Nonetheless, Saudi Arabian
nurses are largely ignorant of pharmaceutical mishap.

Introduction

Enhancing patient safety is a major priority for the global healthcare environment and a crucial part
of providing high-quality care.

Every year, drug errors cause between 7000 and 9000 deaths in the United States. Furthermore, it
was stated that drug errors account for 100,000 hospital admissions every year and that at least one
medication error happens every day. Medication errors (MEs) also affect 7% of inpatients on a daily basis;
most of these patients are in extended hospitalization care or are referred to critical care or high
dependency care units. Such intensive care is a high-complexity setting where the administration of
medications frequently necessitates extraordinary effort and interventions from medical professionals.
Current research has examined the role of organizational and human factors in the occurrence of specific
or possibly dangerous events. Human factors pertain to the personal and professional attributes of
healthcare personnel, whereas organizational aspects are associated with the way the medication
management process is structured

Other variables that may contribute to prescription error and malpractice include a lack of
understanding, poor performance, slips and lapses.

Medication errors have been identified as a widespread problem in health facilities and hospitals
throughout the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. According to a comprehensive research, the frequency of
pharmaceutical errors in Saudi Arabian hospitals was 44.4%, with prescribing and administration errors
being the most often reported drug errors. Meanwhile, Alshammari et al. conducted a cross-sectional
survey among healthcare workers and found that most participants lacked good awareness of medication
error stages and had no experience of being trained on the subject.

Harkan et al. conducted the only study that presented information about medication errors among
nurses. The authors conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study in tertiary healthcare facilities in the
Saudi Arabian region of Al-Qassim and discovered that medication errors by physicians and nurses
accounted for 60.4% and 34.0% of total errors, respectively. The most recent study by Alyami et al.
reported a total of 4860 medication errors in a Saudi central hospital, with more than 50.0% of the
medication errors associated with ordering, prescribing, or transcribing medications.

The aforementioned studies reflect the scarcity of data on the prevalence of medication errors in
Saudi Arabia, particularly among nurses. Nurses' knowledge and attitudes toward medication errors are
currently underreported. As a result, the purpose of this study is to investigate nurses' knowledge and
attitudes toward medication errors in Jeddah public hospitals in Saudi Arabia. The specific goals were to
(1) describe the socio-demographic characteristics of the nurses in Jeddah public hospitals, (2) determine
the prevalence of medication errors, and (3) identify the factors associated with medication errors.

This is one of the few attempts to determine the prevalence of medication errors and associated
factors among Saudi nurses. The results revealed a high prevalence of medication error (72.1%), with
less than half of such errors reported. Overall, 55% of nurses had good knowledge of medication errors
and 50% had a positive attitude toward medication errors. Wrong doses were the most common type of
medication error, followed by patient-related errors, with timing routes and documentation errors being
less common. Medication errors are associated with older age groups, hospital types, no history of
attending MER training courses, poor knowledge, and a negative attitude. In conclusion, the findings
emphasize the importance of addressing medication errors among Saudi Arabia nurses. Establishing
educational and training programs on MER for nurses in Saudi Arabia healthcare facilities may help
nurses understand medication errors and report them appropriately. Policymakers and relevant bodies
should consider the factors identified in this study when addressing medication errors among nurses in
the country.

Discussion

Augustine's ethics emphasize the importance of doing good and avoiding evil. Medication
errors can be considered a form of evil as they can harm patients and compromise their
well-being. Augustine's ethics would suggest that healthcare professionals have a duty to
prevent medication errors and to take responsibility for any errors that do occur. This includes
being honest with patients and taking steps to prevent similar errors from happening in the
future. Additionally, Augustine's ethics emphasize the importance of compassion and empathy
towards patients who have been harmed by medication errors. Healthcare professionals should
strive to provide support and care to these patients, acknowledging their pain and working to
alleviate it. Ultimately, Augustine's ethics provide a framework for healthcare professionals to act
with integrity and compassion in the face of medication errors.

Augustine's ethics emphasize the importance of compassion towards patients who have been
harmed by medication errors by encouraging healthcare professionals to acknowledge the pain
and suffering caused by these errors. Augustine believed that compassion was a key
component of moral behavior, and that it was important to treat others with kindness and
empathy. In the context of medication errors, this means that healthcare professionals should
take responsibility for their mistakes and work to alleviate the suffering of patients who have
been harmed. This might involve providing emotional support, offering apologies, and taking
steps to prevent similar errors from happening in the future. Ultimately, Augustine's ethics
emphasize the importance of treating patients with dignity and respect, even in the face of
difficult and challenging situations.

Conclusions
 Medication errors continue to endanger patient safety in hospitals around the world.
Medication-related problems account for up to 15% of all hospital admissions in Saudi Arabia. Previous
research has linked these difficulties to the continued use of manual or handwritten prescriptions, as well
as a lack of awareness of medication error reporting systems. Despite the remarkable functions
performed by nurses in patient handling and medication administration, their understanding of medication
errors remains underreported in Saudi Arabia. Patient safety will benefit greatly from elucidating their
knowledge of medication errors. As a result, the purpose of this survey was to assess nurses' knowledge
and attitudes toward medication errors and the factors that contribute to them.