Evaluation of Medication Errors in an Acute Multi Care Unit in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Purpose of the study : The aim of the study was to evaluate medication errors in the Acute Multi Care Unit in a tertiary care hospital. The study aims to promote safety in medication use and ensure quality in the healthcare service. The study objective was to detect and categorize medication errors, to ensure rational drug use in the hospital, to make recommendations for doctors, nurses, and patients to promote safe use of medications. Design and Methodology : The study was conducted in 152 inpatients in the Acute Multi Care Unit in a tertiary care hospital located in Hyderabad. It is a prospective observational study carried over a period of 8 months. Data was collected using a data collection form which included patient details, drug details, and criteria for identifying errors, its categorization, and the details of drugs involved in errors. Complete details of patients and medications were recorded through a review of nursing charts, patient's admission chart, patient's history sheet and doctor's order sheet. Collected details were then evaluated to detect the prescribing, administration, omission error, dose error and poly pharmacy. Results : The study was conducted in 152 patients, where total number of prescriptions with error is 28. The percentage distribution of prescriptions with error (18%) and without error (82%) was also calculated. Among which prescribing errors (50%) were the most frequently occurring types of errors, which was followed by omission errors (18%), administration error (18%) and dose error (14%). Error prescriptions belonging to male patients were (60.7%) while for females it was (39.3%). And a total of 26 Poly pharmacy prescriptions were also reported among which (69%) belongs to male and (31%) belongs to female. Conclusion : The professionals involved in the practice should be focused, alert and determined. The nursing staff also needs to be slightly more knowledgeable and focused. Since this is an observational study and there is no scope of any intervention which can modify outcome.