Enhancing safe medication use in home care: insights from informal caregivers.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

To investigate the factors influencing medication errors made by informal caregivers while providing care at home.

Methods

A cross-sectional study based on an online survey, which included both structured and open-ended questions, was conducted in Spain. The survey comprised 49 questions to collect self-reported avoidable medication errors made by caregivers at home.

Results

A total of 685 caregivers participated in the survey, with 346 considered qualified (having received >20 h of training). On average, 13.5 (SD 38.2, 95% CI 10.5-16.5) errors per caregiver per year were self-reported. Errors were more prevalent among non-qualified caregivers, males, direct relatives of the care recipient, those with external occupations, or those who used external aids.

SUBMITTER: Gil-Hernandez E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11574791 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature