Assessment of Near Misses in Medication Management Stages at Critical Care Units | ||||
Alexandria Scientific Nursing Journal | ||||
Volume 27, Issue 2, June 2025, Page 118-129 PDF (247.93 K) | ||||
Document Type: Research articles | ||||
DOI: 10.21608/asalexu.2025.429805 | ||||
![]() | ||||
Authors | ||||
Yara Hesham Ali Fouad Maged* 1; Nora Ahmed Bassiouni2; Ahmed Abd Elwahab3 | ||||
1Assistant Lecturer Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University | ||||
2Professor Emeritus Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University | ||||
3Lecturer Nursing Administration, Faculty of Nursing, Alexandria University | ||||
Abstract | ||||
Background: In the momentum of growing healthcare challenges facing the health sector, patient safety becomes threatened by vigorous healthcare errors, particularly medication errors. Among all types of errors, near misses are always being underreported and might lead to serious patient safety events. Therefore, healthcare organizations need to focus on reducing these errors by identifying system weaknesses, developing corrective actions, and implementing risk mitigation. Aim: To assess near misses in medication management at critical care units. Setting: The study was carried out in all critical care units (N=3) at Alexandria New Medical Center, Egypt. Subjects: All near misses reports of medication management in the last five years (from 2019 to 2023) and all available patient records in the study units were audited at the time of data collection. All nursing staff who were working at the selected units were included in the study (N=45). Tools: two tools were used in this study. Tool one: “Medication Management and Safety Auditing Checklist". Tool two: “Health and Safety Executive risk assessment". Results: The study showed that the overall level of near misses in medication management stages was categorized as a high level of near misses. Conclusion: It is concluded that the weaknesses identified in medication management will hinder nurses from reporting near misses. To enhance the mitigation of these incidents, it is crucial to implement continuous and intensive control measures aimed at addressing system weaknesses, reducing errors, and ensuring ongoing improvement. Recommendations: It is suggested to provide clear, concise guidelines on what constitutes a near miss and how to report it. Organize regular learning sessions or workshops where staff can discuss near misses and share insights on prevention strategies. Organize regular learning sessions or workshops where staff can discuss near misses and share insights on prevention strategies. | ||||
Keywords | ||||
Near miss; Near miss reporting; Medication management; Contributing factors; Critical care units | ||||
Statistics Article View: 67 PDF Download: 55 |
||||