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Background and purpose: Medication errors today are discussed as one of the main concerns of the health care systems and are used as an indicator for determining the level of patients safety in hospitals. This study was conducted with the purpose of evaluating medical errors among intensive care nurses. Materials and methods: In this descriptive study the research population composed of nurses working in intensive care units of Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex, Tehran, 2011. 64 nurses were randomly selected and asked to answer to a researcher made questionnaire. The data was analyzed by SPSS version 16 using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: 73.43%, 42.55% and 57.45% of nurses reported the occurrence, verge of occurrence and not occurrence of medical errors, respectively. The most common type of medication errors were infusion rate and doses of drugs due the drug’s abbreviated names and existence of similarities among drug's names. The most important causes of medication errors were lack of pharmacological information. Conclusion: Since the risk of medication errors among nurses is high, therefore, retaining courses on pharmacological information, modification of educational curriculum, encouraging nurses to report medical errors and also encouraging hospital managers to give positive response to errors are suggested.

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Background and purpose: The occurrence of medical errors in healthcare centers is highly significant due to the sensitive nature of providing care and saving patients' lives. Failure to report such errors can result in both financial and moral harm to patients and have adverse effects on the healthcare system. Medical errors have significant clinical and economic consequences and can influence mortality rates. Despite the wide range of medical errors in healthcare delivery, the errors committed by medical staff—due to the close care relationship between them and the patient—are among the most complex issues in the management of treatment systems. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the causes of non-reporting of medical errors in hospitals and methods of encouraging the reporting of such errors.
Materials and methods: This qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured, in-depth individual interviews with a conventional content analysis approach. The goal was to identify the factors contributing to the non-reporting of medical errors in 1402 (Iranian calendar year). The study population included doctors, specialists, and providers actively involved in patient safety in the hospital. In other words, individuals with knowledge and valuable experience in this area were interviewed. Data collection was conducted using a semi-structured questionnaire, designed by reviewing the literature and with the assistance of expert professors for the interviews. Sampling was performed purposefully until data saturation was reached. Data saturation was achieved after interviewing 22 experts. After the interviews, items and sub-items were identified through content analysis.
Results: Key factors contributing to the failure to report medical errors were identified in two themes, six categories, and 45 items. The extracted themes included organizational and management factors, as well as legal issues. Organizational and management factors encompassed organizational culture, communication, reporting, and monitoring, while legal factors involved the consequences of reporting and control mechanisms. In total, 38 solutions were proposed to encourage the reporting of medical errors. The experts' suggestions for strategies to promote error reporting were identified under two themes, six categories, and 38 items. The themes included organizational and management factors and legal issues. Organizational and management factors covered organizational culture, the reporting process, monitoring, and communication, while legal factors involved the consequences of reporting and control.
Conclusion: Errors in medical procedures may occur due to the inherent nature and sensitivity of these procedures. However, it is essential that medical staff consider themselves obligated to minimize errors and reduce harm to patients. Studying the causes of non-reporting of medical errors and understanding the underlying reasons are critical for improving patient safety and the quality of healthcare services. This knowledge can assist policymakers and healthcare practitioners in making informed decisions about error reporting and in delivering higher-quality services to the public. Additionally, it is important to train medical teams on the various types of errors and how to appropriately address them.