PhD in Nursing Science Program

Nurses' Perceived Skills and Attitudes About Updated Safety Concepts: Associations with Medication Administration Errors and Practices

Dissertation under the direction of Professor Lorraine C. Mion 

Healthcare organizations have incorporated updated safety principles in the analysis of errors and updating of norms, policies and standards. Error is an ongoing concern in healthcare, especially preventable adverse drug events, which include medication errors. Approximately one-quarterof medication errors occur at the administration phase, which is solely under the purview of the bedside nurse. Yet no research exists that assesses bedside nurses' perceived skills or attitudes toward updated safety concepts. Based on identified gaps in the literature related to variables that impact medication administration errors (MAEs), the primary goal of this pilot study was to further explore the relationship among individual, unit and organizational mediated variables related to updated safety concepts and MAEs. Specific Aims were to: 1) develop and test the psychometrics of a scale assessing nurses' perceived skills and attitudes about updated safety concepts, and 2) examine associations between perceived skills and attitudes and their impact on unit-level MAE rates and unit-level adherence to safe medication administration practices.