Reporting Medication Errors and Drug Therapy Problems Through the Egyptian National Electronic Reporting System in 56 Governmental Hospitals during 2019

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Several countries have adopted national reporting systems of medication errors such as in the UK and the USA. Egypt has a new national reporting system of medication error (MEs) & drug therapy problems (DTPs), the NO HARMe (the National Office for Handling And Reduction of Medication errors) since October 2017. Objectives To determine the most common types of MEs and DTPs encountered by clinical pharmacists as the NO HARMe users in governmental hospitals. Methodology We conducted a cross-sectional survey using a self-administered online questionnaire in fifty-six governmental hospitals where clinical pharmacists use the NO HARMe, from October to December 2019. Results Most (96%) of the 206 participating clinical pharmacists were females with a mean age of 32.8 years (SD 4.32). The most common departments where participants worked are adult ICU (32.5%), neonatal ICU (14.6%), pediatric ICU (7%), and internal medicine (5%). The most common types of DTPs & MEs reported by clinical pharmacists were inappropriate doses or dosing intervals (38.3%), drugs with no valid indications (25.2%), antibiotics without indication (17.5%), and inappropriate selection of an antibiotic (13.6%). Conclusion Medication errors in drug dosing are prevalent in the hospitals included in this study. Also, drugs that are prescribed without need, while errors in antibiotics were very common in many hospitals either prescribed for no need or selected inappropriately.