Objective: to analyze the characteristics of the work organization performed by nursing staff regarding medication administration procedures and their implications on the workload of these professionals and on patient safety.
Method: the study design is exploratory, with mixed method research and an ecological restorative approach. Data were collected between January 2014 and March 2015, in three inpatient units of a teaching hospital in the south of Brazil, by means of photo walkabout and focus groups, in the qualitative step. In the quantitative phase data were collected from the 162 lists of patients assigned to nursing technicians during their work shifts.
Results: the administration of medications has an impact on the professionals' workload and patient safety.
Final considerations: there are weaknesses in the process that may contribute to medication administration errors, which are related to the number of doses and the number of patients assigned to each professional.