Submission ID 130292
| Issue/Objective | Medication errors are a leading cause of preventable harm globally, yet persist disproportionately in low-resource health systems due to critical gaps in workforce capacity and patient safety infrastructure. In Nigeria, inadequate medication safety knowledge among healthcare professionals contributes to unsafe practices and adverse outcomes. This study aimed to assess determinants of medication error knowledge and identify actionable opportunities for improving patient safety. This aligns with Sub-theme 3 by translating evidence into practical strategies for strengthening health systems. |
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| Methodology/Approach | A cross-sectional study was conducted among 450 healthcare professionals across nine secondary and tertiary healthcare facilities in Kwara State, Nigeria, between September and October 2025. Data were collected using a structured, self-administered questionnaire assessing sociodemographic characteristics, professional roles, and knowledge of medication errors. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariable logistic regression to identify predictors of good knowledge. |
| Results | Overall, 60.2% of respondents demonstrated good knowledge of medication errors, while 39.8% had poor knowledge, indicating substantial gaps in medication safety capacity. Professional role was significantly associated with knowledge (χ² = 27.24, p < 0.001). Nurses (AOR = 0.20; 95% CI: 0.10-0.42) and pharmacists (AOR = 0.23; 95% CI: 0.09-0.60) were significantly less likely to demonstrate good knowledge compared with physicians. These findings highlight inequities in medication safety knowledge across healthcare cadres. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | Significant knowledge gaps, particularly among frontline healthcare providers, pose a risk to patient safety and quality of care. Translating these findings into practice requires targeted, cadre-specific training, integration of medication safety into continuous professional development, and strengthening institutional safety systems, including non-punitive error reporting and digital decision-support tools. Closing these gaps is not only a training priority but a system-level imperative for reducing preventable harm and advancing resilient, high-quality health systems. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Idowu Makinde African Field Epidemiology Network Elizabeth Adedire African Field Epidemiology Network Kenneth Egwuda Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria Abdullahi Garba Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Board, Kaduna State, Nigeria Charles Ehiemere Global Health and Infectious Diseases Control Institute, Nasarawa State University, Keffi, Nigeria |
