Medication errors in homecare setting: An Italian validation study

Objective: Medication errors are a concern in overall the world. Although there are studies that investigate what may be the main causes that lead to the genesis of the medication error in the home care setting, there is no tool that correlates knowledge, attitudes, and behavior to medication errors in the context of home care. This study aimed to psychometrically test to the questionnaire on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in the administration of medication in the new setting: home care setting.

Design: This observational study was reported according to the STROBE checklist.

Sample: Sixty two nurses working in home care setting responded to the online survey.

Measurement: The face and content validity of the items generated was assessed. An Exploratory Factorial Analysis descriptive statistical analysis was conducted. The final questionnaire is composed of 20 items.

Results: The results of the statistical analyses allowed to validate the questionnaire, ensuring good internal consistency and reliability. Most of the sample pointed out that the use of electronic health record, medication reconciliation and the pharmacist's figure are all useful strategies for reducing the risk of medication errors.

Conclusion: The questionnaire is reliable to measure knowledge, attitude, and behavior about medication errors prevention in home care settings.