Reported Medication Errors Committed by Undergraduate (Four Year BScN) Students at AKU-SoNaM, Karachi, Pakistan

Nursing students’ experiences of patient safety incidents and reporting: A scoping review

“…[61] Harding and Petrick [49] found that medication error rates associated with nursing students declined with advancement in the program, specifically 39% of second year students reported a medication error, in contrast with 17% of fourth year students. Tabassum and colleagues [34] described similar findings and clarified that more student-related medication errors seem to occur in medical-surgical placements rather than critical care placements. This may be explained by a higher proportion of upper year nursing students in critical care areas.…”

“…[33] Medication error reporting occurred most often during medication preparation and administration, and were related to the wrong route, dose or lack of manual dexterity. [34] Nursing students struggle with skills related to following procedures or interpreting policies, including medication preparation. [31,35] Additionally, students described their involvement in medication errors of omission.…”

“…This may be explained by a higher proportion of upper year nursing students in critical care areas. [34] Nursing students' understanding of incidents seems to shift during their advancement in the program. Bogarin et al [52] describe third year students' understanding of incidents as related to procedural errors; in contrast, fourth year students attribute errors to a lack of team preparation or an unpredictable event.…”

“…[62] Supervision. Tabassum et al [34] identified that student medication errors occur when students without faculty supervision wrongfully administer medication. Although most students felt supported during medication administration, 66% specified that supervision levels were lower when the setting was busy, when the student was familiar with the setting, and when the nurses trusted the students.…”

“…[42,48] Faculty can support students in reporting incidents, but also in being resilient after the incident occurrence. [34,35] Offering suggestions for communicating mistakes may also prove beneficial. [64] Faculty can provide students with safe learning spaces through the use of simulation scenarios in laboratory environments to practise prior to real-life clinical placements.…”