FACTORS AFFECTING MEDICATION ERRORS REPORTING AMONG NURSES IN SELECTED PRIVATE HOSPITALS IN JEDDAH

Background: Medication errors are a global concern and key challenges that threatening the safety of patients in all countries. Aim: this study aimed to determine factors affecting medication errors reporting among nurses in selected private hospitals in Jeddah. Methods: A convenient sample of 140 nurses was selected from the private hospitals at Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Design: The study utilized a cross sectional design. Tool: Predesigned questionnaires sheet composed of 2 parts, part one consists of demographic characteristics of studied sample. Part 2 consists of the factors affecting in reporting medication errors. Result: Approximately third of the studied nurses have strongly disagreeing the fear factor of the consequences of reporting medication errors or there’s no fear of reporting whatever the consequences since the nursing staff had been practicing in reporting any medication errors incident in their respected clinical areas. Likewise, in managerial factors nurses believed that the implementation medication errors reporting was effective, and the occurrence of such error was preventive. On the other hand, the factors related process of reporting medication errors great numbers of the participants’ having poor medication knowledge and the poor calculation skills. The study concluded that a highly significant correlation was found between all factors leading to medication error and sociodemographic characteristics mainly in items of gender, and level of education level. While there was a significant correlation between fear of the consequence of reporting and all sociodemographic characteristics items Recommendation: Healthcare Professionals and patients should motivate in reporting the occurrence of errors to prevent from further harm.