Wrong Time Medication Administration Errors and Its Association with Demographic Variables among Nurses in Tertiary Care Hospitals, Karachi

Objective: To determine the frequency of wrong time medication administration errors and find out its association with demographic variables. Methods: A hospital based cross sectional analytical study was accomplished at Dow University Hospital and Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi from November 2017 to June 2018. validated questionnaire was adapted for data collection. Demographic questionnaire was filled through interview and followed by direct observation of the subjects while nurses were administrating medication to the patients. Results: Out of total 204 subjects, 106 (52%) were male participants. Large number 168 (82.3%) of the study participants age was less than 35 years. Almost half 97 (47.5%) had working experience of less than 5 years. Frequency of wrong time medication administration error was found 56/204 (27.5%).Wrong time medication administration error was statistically associated with Hospital (p-value 0.019) and working area of the nurses (p-value 0.023). On the comparison of wrong time medication administration error between the hospitals, education (p-value 0.025) and time of medication administration (p-value 0.038) found statistically significant in Dow University Hospital. While, significant association was established in working Area (wards) of the nurses (p-value 0.010) and time of medication administration (p-value <0.001) in Dr. Ruth K.M. Pfau Civil Hospital, Karachi. Conclusion: High frequency of wrong time medication administration error was found among nurses. Hospital and nurses working area (wards) were found statistically significant with wrong time medication administration error.