Prescribing error and Associated Factors at the Pediatric Ward of Wachemo University Nigist Eleni Mohammed Memorial Hospital, Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

Background: Pediatrics admitted to hospital have more problems in relative to adults due to prescribing error but there is similarity in adverse events. This reason is that standard doses are given for adults, whereas pediatric patients are medicated based on their body mass and medical cases. This needs a lot of dose adjustment by health care professionals who prescribe the drug, which leads to increase of medication prescribing error. Objective: To determine the magnitude and associated factors of medication prescribing errors (MPE) at pediatric ward of Wachemo University Nigist Eleni Mohamed Memorial Hospital (WUNEMMH), Southern Ethiopia. Methodology: A cross-sectional study was done at pediatric ward from January 1, 2017 to February 1, 2018. All abstracted and observed data from medical records were checked for errors by the Micromedex Drug-Reax database and guidelines for pediatric use in Ethiopia. We analyzed data using SPSS version 22.0. The association between dependent and independent variables were carried out using logistic regression model with statistics significance declared at P-value < 0.05 and 95%CI). The results were presented by descriptive as well as in table form. Results: Out of 622 errors, the highest MPE was wrong dose with error rate of 110 (48.0%).The medication category with most MPE was antibiotics. Pediatrics with one diagnose [AOR = 3.04(95% CI=1.41 - 6.56)] were more likely face wrong combination than with greater than or equal to two diagnoses. Pediatrics less than one year old [AOR= 3.19(95% CI=1.54 - 6.59)] and pediatrics between one and five year [AOR= 4.31(95% CI=2.09 - 8.91)] were more likely face wrong combination than six to ten years old. Patients with one diagnose [AOR = 3.06(95% CI= 1.39 - 6.71)] were more likely have drug omission than with greater than or equal to two diagnoses and pediatrics less than one year old [AOR=2.15(95%CI=1.04-4.44)]; pediatrics with age one up to five year [AOR=4.47(95%CI=2.10-9.50)] were more likely face drug omission than from six to ten years old. It was found that, only patients with one diagnose [AOR=2.57(95% CI=1.17 - 5.67)] were more likely face wrong abbreviation. Patients with age one up to five year [AOR=0.43(95% CI= 0.22 - 0.84)] were more likely face wrong dose than from six to ten years of age. Patients with one diagnose [AOR=2.32(95% CI=1.07 - 5.06)] were more likely to face wrong duration than with greater than or equal to two diagnoses. Conclusion: The overall rate of medication prescribing error is high. The most frequently detected error was wrong dose followed by wrong combination, omission, wrong frequency and wrong route. Age group less than one year, from one to five and prescription with one diagnosis were statistically significant with prescribing error. We recommend staffs to have access for update references and involvement of clinical pharmacist in ward for reducing the medication errors.