Abstract

Medication errors remain a significant global public health concern, leading to serious consequences for patient safety and healthcare outcomes.

These errors often stem from factors such as human mistakes, communication breakdowns, system failures, and unsafe medication practices. Despite existing policies on medication safety, preventable mistakes persist due to a lack of standardized protocol, inadequate supervision, and fatigue among nurses (Keers et al., 2018). Without proper interventions, these errors will continue to threaten patient outcomes.

This study seeks to identify the key factors contributing to medication error occurrence among nurses at Santa District Hospital, providing evidence-based recommendations to reduce risks and enhance healthcare quality. This study will employ a convenient sampling technique to investigate the factors contributing to medication errors among nurses at Santa District Hospital. The design is appropriate for assessing relationships between variables (e.g., workload, training, communication, handwriting, prescription standards) and medication errors at a specific point in time. Surveys and current hospital records will be used to collect data.

The study population comprises registered nurses and nurse assistants actively involved in medication administration at Santa District Hospital. Eligible participants must be nurses working at the hospital to ensure familiarity with local medication protocols and workplace challenges. Administrative staff and nurses not engaged in medication-related tasks will be excluded from the study. A well-structured questionnaire will be used for data collection.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Medication errors refer to preventable mistakes that occur during the medication process, including prescribing, dispensing, and administration (NCC MERP, 2023).Medication errors are a major global healthcare challenge, affecting millions of patients each year.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO, 2022), unsafe medication practices and errors harm approximately 1.3 million people annually, with low- and middle-income countries (LMICS) experiencing nearly twice the risk compared to high-income nations. Some of these errors include, wrong dosage, wrong patient, wrong time, wrong route, wrong method of dispensing the drugs etc. Worldwide, errors related to medication are responsible for 5–41.3% of all hospital admissions and contribute to 22% of readmissions following discharge.

Moreover, studies have shown that 10% of the causes of patients’ death are related to medication errors (Mohebifar et al., 2025,). In the United States of America (U.S.A), approximately 7,000 to 9,000 individuals lose their lives annually as a result of medication errors. In Iranian hospitals, medication error occurrence rate was estimated at 10.9% and the average occurrence of medication administration errors within three months for each nurse is 19.5 cases.

Beyond physical harm, patients and families often suffer psychological distress and loss of trust in healthcare systems when errors occur (WHO, 2022).However, the general contributing factors of medication error occurrence include workload, work place distraction, unclear prescription, lack of quality staff education, lack of team work, inadequate access to up-to-date guidelines(Alomari et al., 2021).

In Saudi Arabian hospitals, studies found that medication errors contribute to increased stress among nurses and damage `1professional reputations (Alghamdi et al., 2019).These widespread effects demonstrate why medication errors remain a critical global healthcare challenge requiring urgent attention. But it should be noted that medication administration is not a primary nursing function rather it is a collaborative function.

In Africa, medication error occurrence contribute significantly to preventable patient harm, with studies suggesting that nurses are often at the frontline of these mistakes (Ogunleye et al., 2020).The burden of medication errors is magnified by systemic issues such as understaffing, inadequate training, poor infrastructure, and limited access to updated clinical guidelines (World Health Organization [WHO], 2017). Primarily, patients bear the most severe consequences, experiencing adverse drug reactions, prolonged illness, disability, or even death.

A study conducted at the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan identified administration errors as the most frequent, often caused by interruptions, heavy workloads, and inadequate nurse staffing (Osuala et al., 2017) it was found that, 57% of nurses had committed a medication error; common types included wrong dosage and wrong time.

In Cameroon, limited data exist on the exact prevalence, but evidence indicates that staff shortages, poor communication, and lack of training increase error rates (Aminde et al., 2019). A study at Buea Regional Hospital by Wankah, F. M., et al. (2020). Found that over 65% of nurses had witnessed or committed a medication error in the previous six months.

Contributing factors included poor documentation practices, lack of double-checking, absence of electronic prescribing systems, and verbal orders.Efforts by the Cameroonian Ministry of Public Health to improve patient safety have included training initiatives and the promotion of safe medication practices. However, gaps still exist in policy enforcement, infrastructure, and continuous professional development for nurses (Ministry of Public Health Cameroon, 2020).

1.2 Statement of The Problem

Medication errors remain a significant global public health concern, leading to serious consequences for patient safety and healthcare outcomes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), medication error occurrence cause at least one death every day and injure approximately 1.3 million people annually in the United States alone (WHO, 2017).

These errors include, administration errors, wrong dose preparation, incorrect timing, wrong route, incorrect patient, omission, failure to consider allergy history. In many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), the risk of medication errors is amplified due to limited resources, understaffing, and inadequate healthcare infrastructure (WHO, 2017; Bates et al., 2016).

Research studies in Africa especially in Nigeria and Ghana shows that lack of training, poor working conditions, and excessive workload significantly contribute to such errors (Oshikoya et al., 2013; Darkwa et al., 2018).In Cameroon, medication error occurrences are a growing concern, especially in urban and semi-urban healthcare facilities.

The consequences of these error occurrences can be severe, including patient complications, prolonged hospitalization, and even fatalities (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 2006). Additionally, medication errors increase financial burdens on healthcare facilities due to legal liabilities and corrective treatments (Tariq et al., 2023).

Despite existing policies on medication safety, preventable mistakes persist due to a lack of standardized protocols, inadequate supervision, and fatigue among nurses (Keers et al., 2018). This study seeks to identify the key factors contributing to medication error occurrence among nurses at Santa District Hospital .

1.3 Research Questions

1.3.1 Main Question

What are the factors contributing to medication error occurrence among nurses at Santa District Hospital?

1.3.1 Specific Questions

1. What are the types of medication errors occurring among nurses at Santa District Hospital?
2. What are the challenges nurses face in medication administration at Santa District Hospital?
3. What are some of the nurse-related factors of medication error occurrence among nurses of Santa District Hospital?

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