title: Medication errors in chemotherapy preparation and administration: a survey conducted among oncology nurses in Turkey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Medication errors in oncology may cause severe clinical problems due to low therapeutic indices and high toxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. We aimed to investigate unintentional medication errors and underlying factors during chemotherapy preparation and administration based on a systematic survey conducted to reflect oncology nurses experience.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was conducted in 18 adult chemotherapy units with volunteer participation of 206 nurses. A survey developed by primary investigators and medication errors (MAEs) defined preventable errors during prescription of medication, ordering, preparation or administration. The survey consisted of 4 parts: demographic features of nurses; workload of chemotherapy units; errors and their estimated monthly number during chemotherapy preparation and administration; and evaluation of the possible factors responsible from ME. The survey was conducted by face to face interview and data analyses were performed with descriptive statistics. Chi-square or Fisher exact tests were used for a comparative analysis of categorical data.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Some 83.4% of the 210 nurses reported one or more than one error during chemotherapy preparation and administration. Prescribing or ordering wrong doses by physicians (65.7%) and noncompliance with administration sequences during chemotherapy administration (50.5%) were the most common errors. The most common estimated average monthly error was not following the administration sequence of the chemotherapeutic agents (4.1 times/month, range 1-20). The most important underlying reasons for medication errors were heavy workload (49.7%) and insufficient number of staff (36.5%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that the probability of medication error is very high during chemotherapy preparation and administration, the most common involving prescribing and ordering errors. Further studies must address the strategies to minimize medication error in chemotherapy receiving patients, determine sufficient protective measures and establishing multistep control mechanisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Ankara Ataturk Training and Research Hospital, Ankara, Turkey E-mail : drarifeulas@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Arife
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ulas
authors.forename: Kamile
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Silay
authors.forename: Sema
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akinci
authors.forename: Didem Sener
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Dede
authors.forename: Muhammed Bulent
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Akinci
authors.forename: Mehmet Ali Nahit
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Sendur
authors.forename: Erdem
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cubukcu
authors.forename: Hasan Senol
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Coskun
authors.forename: Mustafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Degirmenci
authors.forename: Gungor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Utkan
authors.forename: Nuriye
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Abdurrahman
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Isikdogan
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Buyukcelik
authors.forename: Mevlude
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inanc
authors.forename: Ahmet
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bilici
authors.forename: Hatice
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Odabasi
authors.forename: Sener
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cihan
authors.forename: Nilufer
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Avci
authors.forename: Bulent
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yalcin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D006801:Humans; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009726:Nurses / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014421:Turkey; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations