Correlation between workplace culture, learning and medication errors

Abstract

The occurrence of medication errors in intensivecare units can bring about irreparable damageand even lead to death in hospitalized patients.In this respect, numerous investigations have suggestedthat many factors including workplace culture and learningfrom error can affect the incidence rates of such errorsin these units. Accordingly, the present study was to shedlight on the correlation between workplace culture, learningfrom error, and reporting rate of medication errorsamong nurses in intensive care units affiliated to teachinghospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciencesin Iran.Methods: A descriptive-analytical study was conductedamong 120 nurses working in intensive care units in fourteaching hospitals in the city of Tehran. Then, the questionnairesdeveloped by Gulley et al., Rybowiak et al., andWakefield et al. were used to collect the data related toworkplace culture, learning climate, and medication errors.Results: The findings of this study indicated that increasedlearning from error in nurses working in intensivecare units could lower reporting rate of medication errors(r=-0.312, p-value=0.001); there was also a significantrelationship between workplace culture and reportingrate of medication errors, so that enhancing workplaceculture could reduce reporting rate of medication errors(r=-0.239, p-value=0.012).Conclusion: Improving workplace culture via supportingemployee creativity and innovation as well as promotinglearning environment through an employee reward systemalong with avoidance of punishments and reprimands fornurses during the occurrence of errors could be effective inmitigating the incidence rates of medication errors.