Medication Errors by Novice Nurses in a Pediatricand Neonatal Care Setting of Pakistan: Analysisof Problems and Proposed Solutions

Background and Aim: The pediatric setting and associated dispensing of small qualities of medications presents an opportunity for medication errors that can result in serious consequences for children. Pediatric medication administration is more risky in clinical settings without unit dosage, a common situation in developing countries such as Pakistan. To propose solutions to pediatric medication errors, this paper uses a problem solving approach. Methods: The clinical issue of pediatric medication errors was analyzed and solutions derived through a three step systematic process beginning with examining case examples of medication errors followed by a review of the literature to determine causes of pediatric medication errors followed by an informal discussions with pediatric nurses, nurse managers, and nurse educators to seek their opinions when comparing the case examples to published literature to nurse opinion. Results and Conclusion: The primary causes of pediatric medication errors were lack of nurse knowledge, inadequate training, high workload, distraction, and complexity of procedures in pediatric medication administration. The literature review and nurse discussions indicated that the incidents of medication errors among pediatric nurses could be minimized by offering the nurses information on the skills of correct pediatric medication administration. The results indicate the need to better connect nursing theory to nursing clinical practice.