Medication Safety Practices: A Patient's Perspective
Authors: Ghike Sunita , Bhalerao Krutika , Bhalerao Anuja V 
Published: December 2016

Introduction

Medication administration constitutes a key element of acute care delivery, while errors in the process threaten patient safety. A foundational cornerstone upon which health care providers endeavor to base all care is the medical oath, “Never do harm to anyone” (Hippocrates). Medication use in hospitals is a complex process and depends on successful interaction among health care personnel functioning at different areas, and errors may occur at any stage of prescribing, documenting, dispensing, preparation, or administration.

The purpose of this research is to explore the safety practices employed by nurses during medication administration, specifically from the patients’ perspectives. The fundamental objectives are to explore patients’ perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about the safety practices utilized by nurses when administering medications and to identify opportunities for increasing patient safety.

Materials and methods

This study was undertaken employing a quantitative survey instrument as the methodology. For collecting data, a pretested, structured questionnaire was given to the sample population after fulfilling the inclusion/exclusion criteria, and consent to enroll in study was taken. This method is convenient and affords the opportunity to generalize responses from the sample population to the population as a whole.

Results

The mean age of the respondents from Obstetrics and Gynecology was 29.08 ± 6.53. The mean age of the respondents from medicine was 33.4 ± 9.6. The mean age of the respondents from surgery was 33.68 ± 12.2; 23% respondents belonged to medicine unit, 21.5% respondents belonged to surgery unit, and 55.5% respondents belonged to Obstetrics and Gynecology unit. Of the total respondents, 62.75% were females. Moreover, 76 respondents in medicine, 72 respondents in surgery, and 172 respondents in Obstetrics and Gynecology stayed in the hospital for > 7 days. Respondents < 30 years of age responded negatively to three out of six questions compared to respondents > 30 years of age. This is statistically significant (p = 0.008, 0.0001, and 0.008) showing that age does not alter the perception of the quality of health care. The perception of medicine respondents was negative to four out of six questions as compared to surgery respondents. This is statistically significant (p = 0.008, 0.0001, and 0.008), thus unit alters the perception of the quality of health care. The medicine respondents rated care lower as compared to surgical respondents. The patients’ perception varies with gender, and it has been found to be significant in five out of six cases where p value is < 0.05. Females rated the quality of care better and shared the responsibility for health care. The patients’ perception varies with length of stay (LOS): 47.25% respondents feel that the nursing care of the hospital is very safe; 63% respondents feel that their care is a responsibility shared by both doctors as well as themselves more so by the female respondents from surgical units and who stayed longer.

Conclusion

According to patients’ perceptions reported in this study, there were a number of inconsistencies noted in the seven rights of medication administration delivered by nurses, specifically patient identification, hand washing, allergy assessment, and patient teaching. The perception of medication safety practices do change with the unit they are in, gender, and LOS. The results identify key safety issues from a patients’ perspective to focus change strategies that will improve patient care.

How to cite this article

Bhalerao K, Ghike S, Bhalerao AV. Medication Safety Practices: A Patient's Perspective. J South Asian Feder Obst Gynae 2016;8(4):271-281.