Examination of Factors Affecting the Tendency of Intensive Care Nurses Towards Medical Errors: A Multicenter Study in Turkey

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the factors affecting the tendency of intensive care nurses towards medical errors.
 Methods: The data of this descriptive and cross-sectional were collected using a Personal Information Form and the Medical Error Trend Scale in Nursing. The population of the study consisted of a total of 647 intensive care unit nurses who worked at two research and training hospitals located in the province of Istanbul and one university hospital located in the province of Edirne. The inclusion criterion was being a registered nurse working in intensive care units for at least two months, and it was aimed to reach the entire population. The sample included 349 nurses (participation rate: 53.12%) who completed the questionnaire.
 Results: While76.5% of the participants were female, their mean age was 28.96±5.70 years, and 73.4% had graduated from universities. The order of significance of the four independent variables, which were determined to have significant effects on the Medical Error Trend Scale in Nursing scores of the participants, was satisfaction with working in the intensive care unit, the number of patients per nurse, having an intensive care nurse certificate, and weekly working hours.
 Conclusion: The tendencies of the nurses who worked for 40 hours per week, those who were satisfied with working in the intensive care unit, those who provided care for 1 or 2 patients per day, and those who had an intensive care nurse certificate towards medical errors were lower in comparison to the others.