The Mindful Path to Nursing Accuracy: A Quasi-Experimental Study on Minimizing Medication Administration Errors.
Connie Lynne Ekkens, Pamela Ann Gordon
Holistic Nursing Practice May 1, 2021 DOI: 10.1097/hnp.0000000000000440 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Nurses |
| Measures | NCC MERP (National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting) instrument |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Humans Medication errors Nursing care United states |
| Key findings | Training nurses in mindfulness thinking based on Dossey Integral Theory was associated with a 73.3% reduction between pre- and posttraining mean medication administration errors in the experimental group. The authors suggest this may contribute to the limited body of research on mindfulness and medication error reduction. |
Abstract
Achieving error-free health care is critically vital and includes freedom from the occurrence of medication errors, which, as yet, is an unrealized goal in the United States. The purpose of this study was to minimize or potentially eliminate medication errors by adding training in mindfulness thinking to the current system protocol. The goal of this quantitative, quasi-experimental study was to determine whether training nurses in mindfulness thinking founded on the Dossey Integral Theory changed the frequency and severity of medication administration errors. Data analysis included the following steps: recording of data using the NCC MERP (National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting) instrument, statistical analysis using paired t test, and a logistical interpretation of descriptive statistics. An error reduction of 73.3% between pre- and posttraining mean for the experimental group was observed. This study may add to the limited body of research related to mindfulness and the resultant reduction in medication errors.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cites 7
- Mindfulness‐Based cognitive therapy for prevention of recurrence of suicidal behavior Journal of Clinical Psychology December 9, 2005
- Meditation and Mindfulness in the Peer-Reviewed Literature: Review Journal of Yoga and Physiotherapy July 17, 2018
- Mindfulness training affects attention--or is it attentional effort? Journal of experimental psychology. General February 2012
- Mindfulness training reduces the severity of irritable bowel syndrome in women: results of a randomized controlled trial. The American journal of gastroenterology September 2011
- Effects of Mindfulness on Psychological Health: A Review of Empirical Studies Clinical Psychology Review May 13, 2011
and 2 more in the library