Perceptions of medication errors and factors contributing to it among health-care providers in a tertiary care hospital

Abstract

Background: The use of drugs in the medical field (health care) to reduce the illness process and suffering in the patients is very common. The drugs used should not harm or introduce a new ailment in the patients, which will indirectly increase the burden to the patient, relatives, and also to the society in many ways. Aims and Objectives: The primary objective of the study is to assess the awareness about medication errors among various healthcare professionals – doctors, nurses, and pharmacist, also to spread the awareness on avoiding these medication error and suggest remedies to minimize these errors after analyzing the data. Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive study undertaken after ethical committee approval and conducted by self-reported questionnaires in health-care providers. The participants are grouped into three groups as: Group A: Postgraduates of clinical departments; Group B: Nurses in intensive care unit, casualty and OT; and Group C: Pharmacists. The responses are analyzed using SPSS 17 software. Results: The study shows all the three groups that are equally involved in the mediation errors in different levels of health administration starting from selection of drugs, prescription writing, dispensing of medicine, and also administration of drugs to the patients. Conclusion: Many issues are involved in medication errors done by the health-care providers in different levels of care giving which should be corrected and minimized using latest technologies, reducing the overworking, conducting the lectures, seminars regularly will reduce the occurrence of the incidence, and suffering in such patients.