Medication Errors in Perioperative Nursing: A Scoping Review.

Aim: To map the current literature on the characteristics of nurse‐related medication errors in perioperative healthcare settings. Design: A scoping review. Methods: This scoping review used the five‐stage framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). The five stages are: (1) Identifying the Re...

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Publicado en:Journal of Clinical Nursing (John Wiley & Sons, Inc.) Vol. 35; no. 7; pp. 2921 - 2934
Autores principales: Wickramasinghe, Chamila, Latimer, Sharon, Gillespie, Brigid M.
Formato: research systematic review tables/charts Journal Article
Publicado: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jul2026
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
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      dt: Jul2026
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      pub: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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        10.1111/jocn.70276
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        atl: Medication Errors in Perioperative Nursing: A Scoping Review.
      aug:
        au:
          Wickramasinghe, Chamila
          Latimer, Sharon
          Gillespie, Brigid M.
        affil: School of Nursing and Midwifery, Griffith University, Gold Coast Queensland,, Australia
      sug:
        subj:
          Medication Errors
          Perioperative Nursing
          Nursing Staff, Hospital
          Human
          Scoping Review
          Medline
          Psycinfo
          Embase
          CINAHL Database
          Gray Literature
          Descriptive Statistics
          Overdose
          Interprofessional Relations
          Workload
          Burnout, Professional
          Communication
          Leadership
          Occupational Safety
          Organizational Culture
          Convenience Sample
          Confidence Intervals
          Checklists
      ab: Aim: To map the current literature on the characteristics of nurse‐related medication errors in perioperative healthcare settings. Design: A scoping review. Methods: This scoping review used the five‐stage framework developed by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). The five stages are: (1) Identifying the Research Question; (2) Identifying Relevant Studies; (3) Study Selection; (4) Charting the Data; and (5) Collating, Summarising, and Reporting the Results. Findings were synthesised using the PAGER framework. An Ishikawa diagram was used to illustrate contributing factors of nurse‐related medication errors. Data Sources: In October 2024, using key search terms, five databases (Scopus, EBSCO Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, OVID Embase, EBSCO Medline, EBSCO PsycInfo) and two grey literature platforms (opengrey, Policy commons) were searched. The articles were imported to the Covidence database from Endnote after removing duplicate literature. Selected article titles and abstracts, and subsequently full‐text articles, were screened by two trained reviewers based on a priori inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted from the included full‐text articles by one author, checked by another, and analysed descriptively. Results: Of the 967 articles identified through the searches, 7 full‐text articles were included. The incidence of nurse‐related medication errors in perioperative settings ranged from 6.4% to 33.7%, with errors including incorrect medication routes, missed or delayed doses, and miscommunication‐related overdoses. Contributing factors were multifaceted, involving workload pressures, communication failures, system flaws, and organisational influences such as leadership and safety culture. Conclusion: Medication errors in the perioperative setting pose a significant threat to patient safety yet remain underexplored compared to other healthcare contexts. A holistic approach incorporating human factors frameworks, improved communication, workload management, and leadership can help address the complex causes of these errors and guide targeted interventions to enhance perioperative safety and patient outcomes. Reporting Method: Scoping Reviews (PRISMA‐ScR) checklist. Patient or Public Contribution: No Patient or Public Contribution. Trial and Protocol Registration: Open science Framework Website. Registration DOI https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/EXT8C What Does This Paper Contribute to the Wider Global Community?: The findings highlight the incidence, characteristics, and contributing factors of nurse‐related medication errors in perioperative settings including communication breakdowns, environmental stressors, systemic flaws, leadership influences, and timing of medication administration.The application of a comprehensive human factors framework across perioperative phases can deepen the understanding of nurse‐related medication errors and support the implementation of targeted interventions aimed at improving medication safety and enhancing overall patient outcomes in the perioperative setting.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype:
        research
        systematic review
        tables/charts
        Journal Article
      ougenre: Article
    language: English
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