Comparing rates and causes of, and views on reporting of medication errors among nurses working in different-sized hospitals

Background: Medication errors are detrimental to patient safety and the quality of hospital services. Purpose: The purpose of the study was to compare registered nurses working in the small-, medium-, and large-sized Jordanian hospitals' responses in terms of reported rate and cause of medication errors and their views on medication error reporting. Methods: This was a cross-sectional comparative design, with a total sample of 229 nurses working in different-sized hospitals. Results; The rates of reported medication errors were significantly different across hospitals representing 53.5% in small-sized, 41.8% in medium-sized, and 32.8% in large-sized hospitals. No significant differences between hospitals regarding the nurses' reported causes of medication errors. Nurses' views were significantly different in all aspects of their reporting except in their failure to report (drug) error. Conclusions; The hospital's size may associate with nurses' reporting rate and nurses' views on reporting such errors. There is an urgent need for more diligent systematic efforts to prevent, detect, and report medication errors. Collaboration with other health team members, including information technology members, will enhance the outcomes associated with medication administration. The findings of this study warranted further investigations.