Errors In Community Pharmacies Research Articles

Medication errors in community pharmacies: Evaluation of a standardized safety program

BackgroundThe mandated reporting of medication-related errors in community pharmacies including incidents resulting in inappropriate medication use and near misses intercepted before reaching the patient can be utilized as learning opportunities to aid in the prevention of future events. ObjectivesTo examine reporting uptake, trends, and initial learnings from medication errors reported by community pharmacists to the Assurance and Improvement in Medication Safety (AIMS) Program based in Ontario, Canada between April 1st, 2018, and June 30th, 2021. MethodsA descriptive analysis was conducted of all events reported to the AIMS Program during the study period. The web-based reporting form includes a series of mandatory and optional fields completed by the reporter. Individual medications were grouped into broader classes prior to conducting the analysis. ResultsAmong the 31,768 event reports received from 2856 community pharmacies, there were 19,639 incidents and 12,129 near misses. Low reporting followed by a rapid increase was observed during expansion of the AIMS Program in 2018, with almost 60% of Ontario community pharmacies submitting at least 1 event over the study period. In most cases (90.5%), no patient harm was reported. The most frequent event types involved the incorrect drug (19.5%), concentration (17.2%) or quantity (14.5%). Approximately 25% of events were identified by the involved patient or their agent. When looking at medication classes, antihypertensives, opioids and antidepressants were involved in over one-quarter of overall and higher severity events. Environmental staffing problems and interruptions were the contributory factor and sub-factor most frequently reported, respectively. ConclusionsThis study provides insights into engagement with the AIMS Program by Ontario community pharmacy teams since implementation in 2018. The identification of the circumstances and medications associated with both incidents and near misses, aids in the continued development of strategies and processes to help prevent future events.

Risk management -component part of the quality assurance system of pharmaceutical care

Introduction. In the pharmaceutical field, the quality management is a priority and the risk management is a valuable component of an effective quality system. It involves anticipating hazards and controlling risk through a process of risk awareness, reduction, and review. The aim of this paper was to reveal the usefulness of modern risk management strategies and to assess the impact of risk management in the provision of quality services by community pharmacies. Material and methods. The causes that can lead to medication errors in community pharmacies were identified by applying the CNAM Method combined with the Delphi Technique, later the risks were categorized by the Ishikawa diagram, analyzed and evaluated by applying the expert analysis method (MAE) in risk assessment, graphically represented by the Matrix risks and ranked, highlighting pharmacy activities during which medication errors may occur. Results. The risk factor was calculated for 56 potential risks that can cause medication errors, of which 8 for the activity of ordering medicines, 8 potential risks for the activity of receiving products, 6 risks for the activity of storing products, 17 risks for the preparation of drugs and 17 risks for drug dispensing activity. Applying the MAE method in risk assessment, risk occurrence probability and outcome impact values were obtained for each risk. The potential risks of error were graphically represented using the Risk Matrix. Thus, the following activities with a major level of risk were highlighted, for which urgent measures to minimize the impact are required: illegible writing in prescriptions (15.5), fatigue of pharmaceutical staff (15.48), overwork/ multitasking (14.99), prescriptions containing errors (14.26), insufficient staff knowledge (13.81), ordering inappropriate quantities of products in pharmacies (13.59), incomplete prescriptions (12.86) and similar packaging of medicines (12.63). Conclusions. The results of this paper provide the basis for further research in order to develop a Risk Management Plan in community pharmacy. The causes that can lead to errors in the pharmacy have been identified, by highlighting pharmaceutical activities, during which risks of errors may occur. The work has practical use, and the research results can be applied by pharmacies, contributing to the improvement of their performance.

Exploring the human factors of medication errors in community pharmacy: a mixed methods study

Abstract Introduction Medication errors and near misses in the community pharmacy dispensing process have the potential to adversely impact patient safety. The World Health Organisation has identified the importance of Human factors (HF) in the Patient Safety Curriculum guide (1). However, there is a lack of knowledge on how HF principles have or could be applied in the community pharmacy setting. Adopting a HF approach and using qualitative methods can provide in-depth understanding of factors that contribute to these errors, and contribute to intervention development that may improve patient safety. Aim The study aims to investigate the factors contributing to medication dispensing errors and near misses in community pharmacy, and to gather pharmacists’ views of these factors and how these could be mitigated. Methods Three Irish community pharmacies were recruited and provided details of the last ten dispensing errors or near misses which occurred. Each error was mapped to the Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA) steps developed for this study, and mapped to the Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach (SHERPA) framework (2). A detailed report was prepared for each pharmacy outlining the error analysis, with recommendations to prevent the errors in future. A qualitative semi-structured interview was conducted with the three pharmacists in the recruited pharmacies to discuss the report, and analysed by thematic analysis. Results A total of 30 medication errors/near misses were analysed (10 errors reached the patients and were not administered). The HTA developed outlines 185 subtasks potentially involved in dispensing a prescribed medication. On mapping to the SHERPA framework, selection-based errors were the most frequently reported error category (21/30, 70%); this included incorrect product selection from the shelf (17/30, 56.7%) and incorrect product selection at the point of computer entry (4/30, 13.3%). Of the 75 HTA steps involved across the 30 errors, the most frequent point of error was in the gathering medication steps (47/75, 62.7%), followed by the pharmacist accuracy check steps (16/75, 21.3%) and patient mix up errors (5/30, 16.7%). The pharmacist interview themes found that cognitive burden, fatigue, distraction and staffing deficiencies were reported as increasing the risk of error and near miss. Knowledge gaps and inexperience with certain medications were also reported as contributing to errors. Recommendations to prevent errors included changes to the physical environment (e.g. using product shelf alerts), improved checking processes and taking short mental breaks. Conclusion This study found that the most common errors/near misses were at the product selection stage of dispensing, with pharmacy accuracy checks sometimes, but not always, detecting these before they reached the patient. Medication errors occur due to several varying and often interacting factors; cognitive burden and lack of standardised medication checking processes. Despite the small sample size and potential for social desirability bias in the interviews, this study has demonstrated how HF techniques can be applied to the dispensing process as a means of understanding and preventing error occurrence in the community pharmacy. References (1) Vosper H, Hignett S. A UK perspective on human factors and patient safety education in pharmacy Curricula. Am J Pharm Educ. 2017;82:6184. (2) Sutherland A, Ashcroft DM, Phipps DL. Exploring the human factors of prescribing errors in paediatric intensive care units. Arch Dis Child 2019;104:588-595.

Predicting dispensing errors in community pharmacies: An application of the Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach (SHERPA).

IntroductionThe objective of this study was to use a prospective error analysis method to examine the process of dispensing medication in community pharmacy settings and identify remedial solutions to avoid potential errors, categorising them as strong, intermediate, or weak based on an established patient safety action hierarchy tool.MethodFocus group discussions and non-participant observations were undertaken to develop a Hierarchical Task Analysis (HTA), and subsequent focus group discussions applied the Systematic Human Error Reduction and Prediction Approach (SHERPA) focusing on the task of dispensing medication in community pharmacies. Remedial measures identified through the SHERPA analysis were then categorised as strong, intermediate, or weak based on the Veteran Affairs National Centre for Patient Safety action hierarchy. Non-participant observations were conducted at 3 pharmacies, totalling 12 hours, based in England. Additionally, 7 community pharmacists, with experience ranging from 8 to 38 years, participated in a total of 4 focus groups, each lasting between 57 to 85 minutes, with one focus group discussing the HTA and three applying SHERPA. A HTA was produced consisting of 10 sub-tasks, with further levels of sub-tasks within each of them.ResultsOverall, 88 potential errors were identified, with a total of 35 remedial solutions proposed to avoid these errors in practice. Sixteen (46%) of these remedial measures were categorised as weak, 14 (40%) as intermediate and 5 (14%) as strong according to the Veteran Affairs National Centre for Patient Safety action hierarchy. Sub-tasks with the most potential errors were identified, which included ‘producing medication labels’ and ‘final checking of medicines’. The most common type of error determined from the SHERPA analysis related to omitting a check during the dispensing process which accounted for 19 potential errors.DiscussionThis work applies both HTA and SHERPA for the first time to the task of dispensing medication in community pharmacies, detailing the complexity of the task and highlighting potential errors and remedial measures specific to this task. Future research should examine the effectiveness of the proposed remedial solutions to improve patient safety.

Dispensing errors in Lebanese community pharmacies: incidence, types, underlying causes, and associated factors.

Objectives:To assess the incidence, types, the causes of as well as the factors associated with dispensing errors in community pharmacies in Lebanon.Methods:An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in 286 pharmacies located all over Lebanon. Data were collected by senior pharmacy students during their experiential learning placement. Collected data included information on the types of dispensing errors, the underlying causes of errors, handling approaches, and used strategies for dispensing error prevention. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression to determine factors that were associated with dispensing errors.Results:In the twelve thousand eight hundred sixty dispensed medications, there were 376 dispensing errors, yielding an error rate of 2.92%. Of these errors, 67.1% (252) corresponded to dispensing near-miss errors. The most common types of dispensing errors were giving incomplete/incorrect use instructions (40.9% (154)), followed by the omission of warning(s) (23.6% (89)). Work overloads/time pressures, illegible handwriting, distractions/interruptions, and similar drug naming/packaging were reported as the underlying causes in 55% (206), 23.13% (87), 15.15 % (57), and 7% (26) of the errors respectively. Besides, high prescription turnover volume, having one pharmacist working at a time, and extended working hours, were found to be independent factors that were significantly associated with dispensing errors occurrence (p<0.05).Conclusions:This study sheds light on the need to establish national strategies for preventing dispensing errors in community pharmacies to maintain drug therapy safety, considering identified underlying causes and associated factors.

PDG54 Establishment and Implementation of Medication Error Reporting in Community Pharmacies in Southern India

Medication Errors (MEs) may occur at any stage of medication utilization process which can lead to undesirable health consequences. Medication errors in community pharmacies have serious consequences for patients, and certain populations may be at increased risk for harm, such as chronically ill and elderly patients with comorbidities and Poly Pharmacy. Hence, we aimed to establish and inculcate the culture of medication error reporting system (MERS) among community pharmacist and assess and minimize the nature and extent of MEs. A Prospective Observational study conducted in private community pharmacies In our southern Indian province Prescriptions of study participants were reviewed on a daily basis, the identified MEs were documented in the suitable documentation form and also data base for easy retrieval of data. Out of 868, 514 study participants were enrolled during study. A total of 1416 medication errors were identified in 514 enrolled study participants. Errors were found to be more, were prescription errors [1242 (87.71%)] and procurement errors. [157 (11.08%)]. The personnel involved in error were Physicians [493 (78.01%)] and patients [79 (12.50%)]. The major therapeutic classes that were implicated in MEs, belongs to analgesics / antipyretics (39.94%) followed by antibiotics (20.74%), and antihistamines accounting for 16.32% were majorly involved in MEs [705 (49.78%)] and the potential causation that lead to error was regular practice among physician [513 (73.81%)] and peak hours workload among pharmacist [60 (8.63%)]. The MEs outcome categorization is according National National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP), In this study, majority of errors were category C 88.14% (1248), followed by, category A 11.09% (157) and category D 0.78% (11). The reporting system was inculcated in the community settings in order to monitor and prevent the MEs. The study finding indicated that medication errors. occur in all levels of drug treatment.

Evaluation of Telepharmacy Services in Light of COVID-19.

Background: Telepharmacy services are expected to have an important role in increasing access of patients to pharmaceutical care and reducing potential dispensing errors in community pharmacies. Objective: To assess the predictors for effective telepharmacy services on increasing access of patients to care and reducing dispensing errors in community pharmacies. Method: This is a prospective study carried out for 4 months in 52 community pharmacies across the United Arab Emirates (UAE) using disguised direct observation. Multivariable logistic regression was used as a tool to predict factors associated with effective telepharmacy services in improving dispensing safety and increasing access of patients to pharmaceutical care. Data were entered and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software version 26. Results: Pharmacist recommendations related to COVID-19 at pharmacies with telepharmacy (n = 63,714) versus those without remote services (n = 15,539) were significantly more likely to be (1) contact the nearest testing center (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 7.93), (2) maintain home quarantine (AOR = 5.64), and (3) take paracetamol for fever (AOR = 3.53), all were significant results (p < 0.05). Rates of medication dispensing errors (MDEs) and its subcategories, prescription-related errors, and pharmacist counseling errors across pharmacies with telepharmacy versus those without remote services were (15.81% vs. 19.43%, p < 0.05), (5.38% vs. 10.08%, p < 0.05), and (10.42% vs. 9.35%, p > 0.05), respectively. However, pharmacies with telepharmacy were more likely to include wrong patient errors (AOR = 5.38, p < 0.05). Conclusions: Telepharmacy can be used as a tool to reduce the burden on the health care system and improve drug dispensing safety in community pharmacies.

Incidence, nature, severity, and causes of dispensing errors in community pharmacies in Jordan.

Background Medication dispensing is a core function of community pharmacies, and errors that occur during the dispensing process are a major concern for pharmacy profession. However, to date there has been no national study of medication dispensing errors in Jordan. Objective The study aimed to investigate the incidence, nature, severity, causes and predictors of medication dispensing errors. Setting The study was conducted in randomly selected community pharmacies across Jordan. Method A mixed method approach was taken, incorporating prospective disguised observation of dispensing errors and interviews with pharmacists regarding the causes of errors. A multidisciplinary committee evaluated the severity of errors. Proportionate random sampling was used to include 350 pharmacies from across all regions of Jordan. SPSS (Version 24) was used for data analysis. Main outcome measure Incidence, nature, severity, causes and predictors of medication dispensing errors. Results The overall rate of medication dispensing errors was 24.6% (n = 37,009/150,442), of which 11.5% (n = 17,352/150,442) were prescription related errors and 13.1% (n = 19,657/150,442) pharmacist counselling errors. The most common type of prescription-related errors were wrong quantity (37.9%, n = 6584/17,352), whereas the most common pharmacist counselling error was wrong drug (41.9%, n = 8241/19,657). The majority of errors were caused by poor handwriting (30.7%, n = 75,651/37,009), followed by high workload (17.3%, n = 22,964/37,009). More than half of errors (52.6%) were moderate in severity, followed by minor errors (38.8%), and 8.6% of errors were rated as serious. Predictors of medication dispensing errors were: Sundays (OR 2.7; 95% CI 2.15-3.94; p = 0.02), grade A pharmacies (dispensing ≥ 60 prescriptions a day (OR 3.6; 95% CI 2.89-4.78; p = 0.04)), and prescriptions containing ≥ 4 medication orders (OR 4.1; 95% CI 2.9-6.4; p = 0.001). Conclusion Medication dispensing errors are common in Jordan and our findings can be generalised and considered as a reference to launch training programmes on safe medication dispensing and independent prescribing for pharmacists.

Dispensing errors in community pharmacies in the United Arab Emirates: investigating incidence, types, severity, and causes.

Background:Medication dispensing is a fundamental function of community pharmacies, and errors that occur during the dispensing process are a major threat to patient safety. However, to date there has been no national study of medication dispensing errors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).Objective:The study aimed to investigate the incidence, types, clinical significance, causes and predictors of medication dispensing errors.Methods:The study was conducted in randomly selected community pharmacies (n=350) across all regions of UAE over six months using a mixed-method approach, incorporating prospective disguised observation of dispensing errors and interviews with pharmacists regarding the causes of errors. A multidisciplinary committee, which included an otolaryngologist, a general practitioner and a clinical pharmacist, evaluated the severity of errors. SPSS (Version 26) was used for data analysis.Results:The overall rate of medication dispensing errors was 6.7% (n=30912/ 464222), of which 2.6% (n=12274/464222) were prescription-related errors and 4.1% (n= 18638/464222) pharmacist counselling errors. The most common type of prescription-related errors was wrong quantity (30.0%), whereas the most common pharmacist counselling error was wrong drug (32.1%). The majority of errors were caused by medicine replaced with near expire one (24.7%) followed by look-alike/sound-alike drugs (22.3%). The majority of errors were moderate (46.8%) and minor (44.5%); 8.7% were serious errors. Predictors of medication dispensing errors were: grade A pharmacies (dispensing ≥ 60 prescriptions a day (OR 2.1; 95%CI 1.4-3.6; p=0.03) and prescriptions containing ≥4 medication orders (OR 2.5; 95%CI 1.7-4.3; p=0.01).Conclusions:Medication dispensing errors are common in the UAE and our findings can be generalised and considered as a reference to launch training programmes on safe medication dispensing practice.

Student observations of medication error reporting practices in community pharmacy settings.

Medication safety practices and methods for reporting errors in community pharmacies are relatively unknown. (s): The primary objective of this study was to describe student-reported data on medication safety and error reporting practices in community pharmacies, and secondarily describe student learning from this assignment. Second professional year pharmacy students enrolled at Purdue University College of Pharmacy in the United States observed and recorded medication safety and error reporting practices as part of an experiential assignment. Data were collected from 170 unique pharmacy settings between the years 2016-2018 and analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired t-test to assess student learning. 51% of students reported documentation of 1-10 errors or near misses annually, with an additional 30% reporting 11-30. Near misses were only reported 26% of the time. Errors were most commonly reported to a pharmacy-specific reporting system (84%) and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices National Medication Errors Reporting Program (84%). The most frequently reported error types included wrong directions (34%), wrong drug (14%), wrong strength (13%), and wrong patient (12%). Pharmacists were observed to be interrupted approximately 19 times every hour. Anonymous error reporting was typically not allowed to the pharmacy's preferred error reporting system (71%). A policy requiring that the prescriber is contacted about errors was observed at 77% of the sites. The most common consequences of committing an error were education/training (72%) or progressive discipline (41%). Students reported a statistically significant increase in understanding of medication safety practices and methods for reporting errors in community pharmacies. (p < 0.01). This data supplements existing literature on medication safety practices and error reporting in community pharmacy settings, as well as highlights knowledge gaps outside the scope of this study.

Medication errors in community pharmacies: The need for commitment, transparency, and research.

Medication errors place a serious medical and economic burden on the United States (U.S.) healthcare system. Since 1975, government health agencies and non-profit organizations in the U.S., such as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), and the Joint Commission, have undertaken initiatives intended to reduce medication errors, and there has been noteworthy progress in inpatient settings. However, there have been fewer advances in settings outside the hospital such as community pharmacies, where 4 billion prescriptions were dispensed to patients in 2017. There are limited information and research on community pharmacies' involvement in reducing and preventing medication errors. Most published studies on medication errors in community pharmacy settings are cross-sectional in design and often limited by geography, such that each study describes a single geographic region, i.e., one or a few practices in a single city or state within the U.S. An attempt to gain additional insight on how medication errors are managed was met with the inability of many pharmacy corporations to provide meaningful information. In order to reduce medication errors, improvement strategies such as transparency and bi-directional communication between pharmacists and patients are needed. Pharmacists are required by law to counsel patients, and research has shown that counseling can assist with detecting medication errors. Community pharmacies play a significant role in the U.S. healthcare system, but their efforts to reduce medication errors are not well known. By improving transparency in quality assurance processes and promoting patient engagement to improve patient safety, community pharmacies have the potential to play a more active role in reducing medication errors and safeguarding patients from harm.

A Formal Human Reliability Analysis of a Community Pharmacy Dispensing Procedure

Medication errors in community pharmacies are a major threat to patient health and safety. Current experimental and observational studies are insufficient to address the medication error problem due to its complexity. Thus, we adapt a well-validated human reliability analyses (HRA) approach for use with the probabilistic model checking, to create and validate a formal approach that allows the analysts to predict medication error rates and explore interventions for different community pharmacy procedures. We use the method to analyze a common dispensing procedure of community pharmacies and compare our results to published error rates. Finally, we discuss our results and explore how our method could be further developed in the future.

PHP121 - Prospective Study of the Incidence, Nature and Causes of Dispensing Errors in Community Pharmacies of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

PHP121 - Prospective Study of the Incidence, Nature and Causes of Dispensing Errors in Community Pharmacies of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Medication errors in Community Pharmacy: Potencial Causes and strategies for Prevention

Medication errors in Community Pharmacy: Potencial Causes and strategies for Prevention

Causes and consequences of e-prescribing errors in community pharmacies.

Major national policy forces are promoting the adoption and use of health information technology (health IT) to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care delivery. One such health IT is electronic prescribing (e-prescribing), which is the direct transmission of prescription information from a provider to a pharmacy. Given research showing that handwritten prescriptions are unsafe and associated errors can lead to tremendous inefficiency for patients and pharmacists, e-prescribing has many potential benefits. However, as with the introduction of any new technology, unintended, adverse consequences may result. The purpose of this review is to explore the causes and consequences of e-prescribing errors in community pharmacies, which are pharmacies not affiliated with a hospital or clinic. Many new types of errors – including provider order entry errors, transcription errors, and dispensing errors – appear to result from e-prescribing. These lead to important consequences for pharmacies, including safety threats to patients, reduced efficiency for pharmacists, processing delays, and increased pharmacy cost. Increased attention to system design and pharmacist training, as well as additional research in this area, will be critical to realize the full benefits of e-prescribing.

Barriers and facilitators to recovering from e-prescribing errors in community pharmacies

ObjectiveTo explore barriers and facilitators to recovery from e-prescribing errors in community pharmacies and to explore practical solutions for work system redesign to ensure successful recovery from errors. DesignCross-sectional qualitative design using direct observations, interviews, and focus groups. SettingFive community pharmacies in Wisconsin. Participants13 pharmacists and 14 pharmacy technicians. InterventionsObservational field notes and transcribed interviews and focus groups were subjected to thematic analysis guided by the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) work system and patient safety model. Main Outcome MeasuresBarriers and facilitators to recovering from e-prescription errors in community pharmacies. ResultsOrganizational factors, such as communication, training, teamwork, and staffing levels, play an important role in recovering from e-prescription errors. Other factors that could positively or negatively affect recovery of e-prescription errors include level of experience, knowledge of the pharmacy personnel, availability or usability of tools and technology, interruptions and time pressure when performing tasks, and noise in the physical environment. ConclusionThe SEIPS model sheds light on key factors that may influence recovery from e-prescribing errors in pharmacies, including the environment, teamwork, communication, technology, tasks, and other organizational variables. To be successful in recovering from e-prescribing errors, pharmacies must provide the appropriate working conditions that support recovery from errors.

Consumers’ perceptions on the contribution of community pharmacists in the dispensing process at Dawadmi

BackgroundCommunity pharmacies are widely distributed and developments in this sector will greatly improve pharmaceutical health care delivery. ObjectivesTo provide consumer’s perceptions towards the contribution of community pharmacists in the dispensing process. MethodThe study was performed from mid-October to mid-November 2013 in Dawadmi, KSA. Data were carried out using a structured face-to-face questionnaire with randomly selected 100 consumers at different community pharmacies. The questionnaire composed of nine closed questions about consumer’s perceptions towards the pharmacist’s role, counselling quality and dispensing errors in community pharmacies. ResultsConsumers perceive that pharmacists are not committed to dispense medications with prescription (72%), it is embarrassing to ask questions to the pharmacist in the current pharmacy premises (48%), pharmacists do not give enough counselling about their medications (48%) and they previously encountered a dispensing error (26%). ConclusionThe professional performance of community pharmacists in dispensing is below expectation. Majority of consumers perceive that community pharmacists are violating pharmacy law and giving them insufficient medicine information while dispensing. Authorities should stimulate both pharmacist’s and consumer’s awareness by educational campaign, improve standards for the profession and penalise violators. It is a necessity for community pharmacies to develop consultation areas to assure privacy, improve counselling quality, and reduce dispensing errors.

E-prescribing errors in community pharmacies: Exploring consequences and contributing factors

ObjectiveTo explore types of e-prescribing errors in community pharmacies and their potential consequences, as well as the factors that contribute to e-prescribing errors. MethodsData collection involved performing 45 total hours of direct observations in five pharmacies. Follow-up interviews were conducted with 20 study participants. Transcripts from observations and interviews were subjected to content analysis using NVivo 10. ResultsPharmacy staff detected 75 e-prescription errors during the 45h observation in pharmacies. The most common e-prescribing errors were wrong drug quantity, wrong dosing directions, wrong duration of therapy, and wrong dosage formulation. Participants estimated that 5 in 100 e-prescriptions have errors. Drug classes that were implicated in e-prescribing errors were antiinfectives, inhalers, ophthalmic, and topical agents. The potential consequences of e-prescribing errors included increased likelihood of the patient receiving incorrect drug therapy, poor disease management for patients, additional work for pharmacy personnel, increased cost for pharmacies and patients, and frustrations for patients and pharmacy staff. Factors that contribute to errors included: technology incompatibility between pharmacy and clinic systems, technology design issues such as use of auto-populate features and dropdown menus, and inadvertently entering incorrect information. ConclusionStudy findings suggest that a wide range of e-prescribing errors is encountered in community pharmacies. Pharmacists and technicians perceive that causes of e-prescribing errors are multidisciplinary and multifactorial, that is to say e-prescribing errors can originate from technology used in prescriber offices and pharmacies.

A Quantitative Analysis of Factors Affecting Dispensing Errors in Community Pharmacies

A Quantitative Analysis of Factors Affecting Dispensing Errors in Community Pharmacies

Principles for designing a safer medication label

Health literacy is increasingly seen as a patient safety issue. Patients with lower health literacy more often take prescription medications without fully understanding the instructions on the drug labels, according to one recent study.1