Assessment of Medication Errors and Prevention Strategies in Selected Hospitals in Kwara State, Nigeria
Abstract:
Medication
errors pose a significant challenge to patient safety worldwide, with Africa
bearing the highest burden of preventable medication-related harm; however,
limited data exist for Kwara State, Nigeria. This study assessed the knowledge,
awareness, prevalence, causes, and prevention strategies of medication errors
among 450 healthcare workers in selected hospitals across the three senatorial
zones of Kwara State, using a sequential explanatory mixed-method design that
included key informant interviews with five professionals. Findings showed that
91.8% of participants were aware of medication errors, but only 60.2%
demonstrated good knowledge, which was significantly associated with age,
tribe, religion, and professional role. The prevalence of self-reported
medication errors was 73.6%, with poor handwriting (62.9%) and lack of
communication among healthcare providers (54.9%) identified as the main causes;
the most common self-reported error was failure to consider patient allergies
(48.9%). Although 73.8% of facilities had training programs and 67.3% had
medication error reporting systems, key informants highlighted staff shortages
and work overload as primary contributing factors. Participants recommended
more frequent training (74.9%), improved interprofessional communication (70%),
and increased resource allocation (97.3%) to reduce errors. The study concludes
that despite high awareness, knowledge gaps remain, and the high prevalence of
medication errors calls for urgent implementation of comprehensive prevention
strategies, including regular training, adequate staffing, standardized
reporting systems, and enhanced communication among healthcare professionals.
Future studies should attempt to assess the drivers of the major causes of
medication errors reported in the present study as well as identify the
medication error rates in under-studied populations.
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