The description and causes of medication errors and the factors related to error reporting from the point of view of nursing students at Alborz university of medical sciences, Karaj, Iran

A significant problem in clinical nursing education that has a direct effect on patient safety is medication errors. Due to their restricted clinical experience, gaps in knowledge, and inadequate supervision, nursing students are especially prone to making such mistakes. This study aimed to investigate the prevalent types and causes of medication errors and to explore the barriers to error reporting from the perspective of undergraduate nursing students at Alborz University of Medical Sciences. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 230 nursing students from the 3rd to 8th semester during 2023–2024. Data were collected using a 60-item researcher-designed questionnaires that assessed types of errors, contributing factors, and reasons for not reporting. Also, the questions were grouped into three main categories: fear of reporting, management of medication errors, and reporting workflow. Scores for each of the three categories were computed, and the Kruskal-Wallis test and the Mann-Whitney U test were used to compare scores across different participant groups. The most frequent types of errors reported included shortage of trained personnel (81.7%), incorrect administration speed (79.6%), and timing errors (76.5%). Key contributing factors included staff shortage (94.8%), exhaustion due to work-related stress (90.4%), and poor communication (90.4%). Major barriers to error reporting include trainers focusing too much on patient care standards (94.3%), fear of blame or judgment (93.9%), and fear of spreading error information (92.6%). Married students showed significantly lower fear of reporting and workflow scores than single students (p = 0.011 and p < 0.001, respectively). Medication errors among nursing students arise from institutional and individual factors. Solutions include educational reforms, clinical simulation training, better instructor oversight, and establishing a non-punitive culture to encourage error reporting. Not applicable.