<b>INTERRUPTIONS DURING MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION AND THEIR EFFECT ON MEDICATION ERRORS IN MEDICAL WARDS</b>

Background: Medication errors remain a major patient safety concern worldwide, and interruptions during medication administration are frequently identified as a key contributing factor. Although the impact of interruptions has been widely studied internationally, limited evidence exists from Pakistani healthcare settings. This study aimed to assess the frequency and types of interruptions during medication administration and examine their association with medication errors in selected hospitals in Mardan, Swabi and Peshawar, Pakistan. Methods: A prospective observational cross-sectional study was conducted over a three-month period (June-August 2025) in medical wards of selected private hospitals in Mardan, Swabi and Peshawar. A purposive sample of 60 registered nurses participated in the study. Data were collected through direct observation of 180 medication administration rounds, with each nurse observed during three rounds. A structured Interruption Frequency and Type Observation Log and a Medication Administration Error Checklist, based on the five-rights principle of medication administration, were used for data collection. Statistical analysis was performed using IBM SPSS Statistics, applying descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and binary logistic regression to examine the relationship between interruptions and medication administration errors. Findings: An average of 8.4 interruptions occurred per medication round. Communication-related interruptions were the most common (42%), followed by patient-initiated (28%) and environmental interruptions (19%). A strong positive correlation was identified between interruption frequency and medication error occurrence (r = 0.74, p < 0.001). The most frequently observed medication errors were omissions and wrong-dose administrations. Conclusion: Interruptions during medication administration were significantly associated with increased medication errors. Implementing interventions such as Do Not Interrupt zones, structured task-resumption strategies, and medication safety technologies may help reduce interruptions and improve patient safety in hospital settings.