Description :

This paper reports on a qualitative study of nurses experiences with medication errors using discourse analysis within a framework of an interpretive research design the phenomenon of a not too uncommon occurrence in nursing practice was examined. The meaning that nurses assign to their experiences with medication errors is at the centre of this study using discourse analysis within a framework of an interpretive research design the phenomenon of a not all too uncommon occurrence in nursing practice is examined. Medication errors can occur at any of the phases of the medication use process during prescribing transcribing dispensing and or administering however existing studies revealed that medication errors most frequently occur during the administration phase 1 2 6 most of the medications are administered by nurses 7 . A nurse at a minnesota nursing home transcribed a residents medication order on a different persons chart her colleague also failed to properly match the drug with the patients medication administration record mar. Abstract this paper is a report of a study to describe the experiences of nurses who had committed serious medication errors the meaning these experiences carry and what kind of help and support