Medication Errors Research Articles

Capturing pharmacists’ perspectives on the value, risks, and applications of ChatGPT in pharmacy practice: A qualitative study

ObjectivesTo investigate the pharmacists' perspectives on benefits and risks of using ChatGPT in pharmacy practice and explore how this disruptive and ground-breaking technology can be effectively integrated. Methods and materialsA qualitative approach that draws data from licensed pharmacists using semi-structured interviews. ResultsMost participants felt ChatGPT could enhance the compliance, use, management, safety, adherence to medication, medication counseling, minimize medication errors, and streamline medication dispensing. However, when Chat-GPT has limited information and relies on obsolete medication databases, it risks providing inaccurate recommendations and inadequate medication details. Also, most participants highlighted the difficulty in interpreting ambiguous patient input or drug descriptions when using the application. ConclusionsDespite its potential, utilizing ChatGPT in pharmacy practice must be dependent on evidence-based results that offer profound insight into AI technology.

Estimating the Effect of Disclosure of Patient Safety Incidents in Diagnosis-Related Patient Safety Incidents: A Cross-sectional Study Using Hypothetical Cases.

Disclosure of patient safety incidents (DPSIs) is a strategic measure to reduce the problems of patient safety incidents (PSIs). However, there are currently limited studies on the effects of DPSIs on resolving diagnosis-related PSIs. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the effects of DPSIs using hypothetical cases, particularly in diagnosis-related PSIs. A survey using 2 hypothetical cases of diagnosis-related PSIs was conducted in 5 districts of Ulsan Metropolitan City, Korea, from March 18 to 21, 2021. The survey used a multistage stratified quota sampling method to recruit participants. Multiple logistic regression and linear regression analyses were performed to determine the effectiveness of DPSIs in hypothetical cases. The outcomes were the judgment of a situation as a medical error, willingness to revisit and recommend the hypothetical physician, intention to file a medical lawsuit and commence criminal proceedings against the physicians, trust score of the involved physicians, and expected amount of compensation. In total, 620 respondents, recruited based on age, sex, and region, completed the survey. The mean age was 47.6 (standard deviation, ±15.1) years. Multiple logistic regression showed that DPSIs significantly decreased the judgment of a situation as a medical error (odds ratio [OR], 0.44; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.24-0.79), intention to file a lawsuit (OR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.42-0.66), and commence criminal proceedings (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.34-0.55). It also increased the willingness to revisit (OR, 3.28; 95% CI, 2.37-4.55) and recommend the physician (OR, 8.21; 95% CI, 4.05-16.66). Meanwhile, the multiple linear regression demonstrated that DPSIs had a significantly positive association with the trust score of the physician (unstandardized coefficient, 1.22; 95% CI, 1.03-1.41) and a significantly negative association with the expected amount of compensation (unstandardized coefficient, -0.18; 95% CI, -0.29 to -0.06). DPSIs reduces the possibility of judging the hypothetical case as a medical error, increases the willingness to revisit and recommend the physician involved in the case, and decreases the intent to file a lawsuit and commence a criminal proceeding. Although this study implemented hypothetical cases, the results are expected to serve as empirical evidence to apply DPSIs extensively in the clinical field.

Disclosure of medical errors to patients by medical professionals: a protocol for a qualitative systematic review

IntroductionAlthough the disclosure of medical errors is an integral component of medical ethics, it remains inconsistent in practice worldwide. Despite various explanations of why healthcare professionals reveal their mistakes to...

Development of an Emergency Department Safety Checklist through a global consensus process.

Emergency departments (EDs) are at high risk for medical errors. Checklist implementation programs have been associated with improved patient outcomes in other high-risk clinical settings and when used to address specific aspects of ED care. The aim of this study was to develop an ED Safety Checklist with broad applicability across different international ED settings. Athree-round modified Delphi consensus processwasconductedwith a multidisciplinary and multinational panel of experts in emergency medicine and patient safety. Initial checklist items were identified through a systematic review of the literature. Each item was evaluated for inclusion in the final checklist during two rounds of web-based surveys and an online consensus meeting. Agreement for inclusion was defined a priori with a threshold of 80% combined agreement. Eighty panel members from 34 countries across all seven world regions participated in the study, with comparable representation from low- and middle-income and high-income countries. The final checklist contains 86 items divided into: (1) a general ED Safety Checklist focused on diagnostic evaluation, patient reassessment, and disposition and (2) five domain-specific ED Safety Checklists focused on handoff, invasive procedures, triage, treatment prescription, and treatment administration. The checklist includes key clinical tasks to prevent medical errors, as well as items to improve communication among ED team members and with patients and their families. This novel ED Safety Checklist defines the essential elements of high-quality ED care and has the potential to ensure their consistent implementation worldwide.

The PrescIT platform: An interoperable Clinical Decision Support System for ePrescription to Prevent Adverse Drug Reactions and Drug-Drug Interactions.

Preventable medication errors have been proven to cause significant public health burden, and ePrescription is a key part of the process where medication errors and adverse effects could be prevented. Information systems and "intelligent" computational approaches could provide a valuable tool to prevent such errors with profound impact in clinical practice. The PrescIT platform is a Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS) that aims to facilitate the prevention of adverse drug reactions (ADRs) and drug-drug interactions (DDIs) in the phase of ePrescription in Greece. The proposed platform could be relatively easily localized for use in other contexts too. The PrescIT platform is based on the use of Knowledge Engineering (ΚΕ) approaches, i.e., the use of Ontologies and Knowledge Graphs (KGs) developed upon openly available data sources. Open standards (i.e., RDF, OWL, SPARQL) are used for the development of the platform enabling the integration with already existing IT systems or for standalone use. The main KG is based on the use of DrugBank, MedDRA, SemMedDB and OpenPVSignal. In addition, the Business Process Management Notation (BPMN) has been used to model long-term therapeutic protocols used during the ePrescription process. Finally, the produced software has been pilot tested in three hospitals by 18 clinical professionals via in-person think-aloud sessions. The PrescIT platform has been successfully integrated in a transparent fashion in a proprietary Hospital Information System (HIS), and it has also been used as a standalone application. Furthermore, it has been successfully integrated with the Greek National ePrescription system. During the pilot phase, one psychiatric therapeutic protocol was used as a testbed to collect end-users' feedback. Summarizing the feedback from the end-users, they have generally acknowledged the usefulness of such a system while also identifying some challenges in terms of usability and the overall user experience. The PrescIT platform has been successfully deployed and piloted in real-world environments to evaluate its ability to support safer medication prescriptions.

Impact of medication reconciliation and medication reviews on the incidence of preventable adverse drug reactions during hospitalization of elderly patients. A randomized controlled trial.

Background: Of all adverse drug reactions, 35-45% are due to medication errors and would therefore be preventable. Thus, it is essential to implement effective strategies to prevent medication errors. However, it remains unclear whether medication reviews provide an additional benefit compared to medication reconciliation regarding medication safety. Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate whether medication reconciliation and medication reviews affect the incidence of preventable adverse drug reactions in elderly patients. Method: Non-elective patients 65 years and above admitted to the hospital, taking at least one high-risk drug, were eligible for participation in a three-armed randomized controlled trial. One group went through the medication reconciliation process, a second group received a comprehensive medication review, including medication reconciliation, and the third group did not receive any pharmaceutical intervention (control group). The incidence of preventable adverse drug reactions during hospitalization was set as the primary endpoint. The severity of the preventable adverse drug reactions and the number and clinical relevance of drug-related problems and discrepancies were defined as secondary endpoints. Results: In 207 patients, 74 preventable adverse drug reactions were detected. Neither medication reconciliation nor medication reviews showed a significant impact on the incidence of preventable adverse drug reactions compared to the control group. However, medication reviews significantly reduced the severity of preventable adverse drug reactions (p=0.017). Conclusion: The current study results suggest that medication reviews may have an impact on a clinically relevant outcome by reducing the severity of preventable adverse drug reactions. A significant impact of medication reconciliation on clinically relevant outcomes could not be demonstrated. Based on the results of this study, when deciding on a pharmaceutical intervention comprehensive medication reviews should be preferred over sole medication reconciliation whenever possible.

Telemedicine and information technology in health care management: Perspectives and barriers among the nursing students

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine refers to using electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support numerous aspects of healthcare, including clinical care, patient and professional education and training, public health, and health administration. However, many challenges hinder the widespread adoption of telemedicine by healthcare providers. This study aimed to assess the perspectives and barriers in telemedicine and information technology in health care management among nursing students. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 60 nursing students enrolled in the third and fourth years. The sample was selected using a nonprobability purposive sampling technique from students studying at the Applied Medical Science Colleges for Females, University of Bisha. Data collection was facilitated through a structured questionnaire, and the gathered data were analyzed using SPSS version 22. The study was conducted between August 15, 2022 and November 20, 2022. RESULTS: 61% of students believe that telemedicine will lead to a reduction in travel time, costs, and effort. Approximately two-fourths of the sample’s perspectives revolve around concerns regarding privacy, medical errors, and camera comfort. However, more than 30% of participants agree that telemedicine will improve the quality of patient care, decrease waiting times, be beneficial for patient care in remote areas, and assist in providing appropriate information during emergency. 59% of respondents identified the lack of time or busy schedules as the most frequently reported barrier to using telemedicine. Following this, concerns regarding privacy, confidentiality, unreliable Internet connections, and inadequate knowledge about computer technology and Information Management Systems were also commonly cited as barriers. These factors were identified as the primary obstacles hindering the progress of telemedicine. CONCLUSION: This study concluded that telemedicine is a critical tool to address the challenges of limited medical resources in healthcare facilities. However, reduced healthcare costs and waiting time and improved patient access to healthcare in remote areas all helped promote telemedicine implementation. In these remote areas, telemedicine has the potential to bridge this distance and facilitate healthcare.

Beyond Morbidity and Mortality Conference: How Do We Learn From Special Cases?

Physicians experience scary cases in the course of usual medical practice. Cases of near misses, legal and ethical dilemmas, or unique clinical challenges are great sources of education. However, there is no format for presentation and dissemination of cases that do not meet criteria for morbidity and mortality (M&M) conferences. The Scary Cases Conference is an innovative educational forum for scrutiny and analysis of these challenging clinical cases. Scary Cases differs from traditional Morbidity and Mortality conferences as it explores outcomes beyond the scope of medical or surgical errors. From 2011 to 2021: 11 regional and 10 national "Otolaryngology Scary Cases" conferences and mini-seminars were held. The cases presented were analyzed for case specialty, area of management deemed troublesome, and compared to M&M conference criteria. 187 cases were presented. 62% percent of cases included traditional medical problems, whereas 21% involved legal issues, and 17% focused on ethical dilemmas. For the cases with medical problems, 31% involved airway obstruction, 17% nerve injuries, and 17% malignancy. 49% of cases would have met criteria for presentation at traditional M&M conferences. Of all the "scary cases," 25% were near misses and 26% represented ethical or legal dilemmas which would not be classified as morbitidy, mortality, or near miss. The Scary Cases provides a forum conducive to learning amongst peers and experts. It allows medical and surgical specialties to share the cases deemed most impactful. The M&M conference would only include half of such cases, but could be expanded beyond the traditional scope in the future.

ASPEN survey of parenteral nutrition access issues: How the system fails the patient.

Product shortages and a lack of qualified providers to manage care may impact the safety and efficacy of parenteral nutrition (PN). This survey assessed the frequency and extent to which limitations to PN-related access affects patients. Outpatient/patients receiving home PN were surveyed. Questions were developed to characterize the population and determine the extent and severity of PN access issues with components, devices, healthcare professionals, and transfers of care. Reimbursement issues surveyed included insurance coverage, contribution of healthcare costs to annual income, and the extent to which adjunctive therapy was reimbursed. Burdens surveyed included impact on disease symptoms and medical outcomes as well as the types and frequency of medical or system errors experienced, adverse events, or resultant nutrition problems. Respondents (N = 170) were well educated, rented or owned their own home, and were either employed or retired. All age populations were represented. Patients made frequent contact with care providers. Most were able to manage PN costs but feared losing insurance or changes to insurance. Patients used additional prescribed therapies that are poorly covered by insurance. Patients reported symptoms or exacerbation of disease, development or worsening of malnutrition, and episodes of nutrient deficiency. Patients noted errors occur, especially during periods of transitions of care, when they also often encounter clinicians with little understanding of PN. These are high-acuity patients who have difficulty finding providers for their care. This patient survey provides evidence that access issues can result in the "failure of the PN system" to assure care is consistently safe and effective.

Multitasking during Medication Management in a Nursing Home: A Time Motion Study.

Multitasking, defined as performing two or more interventions simultaneously, increases the cognitive burden of clinicians. This may, in turn, lead to higher risk of medication and procedural errors. Time motion study (TMS) data for nurses in nursing homes revealed an extensive amount of multitasking while managing medications. Further investigation of multitasked nursing interventions will provide a foundation for optimizing medication management workflows. Using a continuous observational TMS method, this study aimed to describe pairs of multitasked nursing interventions associated with medication management interventions, including preparing and administering medications, assessing medication effects, instructing on medications, and documenting medication administration. An external nurse observer used 57 predefined Omaha System nursing interventions embedded within TimeCaT (version 3.9), TMS data recording software to collect observation data in a single nursing home. A total of 120 hours of time-stamped observation data from nine nurses were downloaded from TimeCaT and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The majority (74%) of medication management interventions were multitasked, resulting in 2,003 pairs of multitasked interventions. Of the 57 Omaha System nursing interventions, 35 were involved in these multitasking pairs. When nurses multitasked, the average duration of medication preparation was longer (non-multitasked: 81 seconds; multitasked: 162 seconds, p < 0.05), while the average duration of medication administration record documentation was shorter (non-multitasked: 93 seconds; multitasked: 66 seconds, p < 0.05). The findings reveal the complexity of medication management in nursing homes with numerous and diverse multitasking pairs. Findings provide a platform for in-depth study of medication management multitasking in the clinical context, and inform future efforts to create clinical and informatics solutions to optimize medication management workflow. This method may be also applied to examine medication management and multitasking in other clinical settings.

Methodological Approaches for Analyzing Medication Error Reports in Patient Safety Reporting Systems: A Scoping Review

Methodological Approaches for Analyzing Medication Error Reports in Patient Safety Reporting Systems: A Scoping Review

Changing Medication Safety and Quality Improvements: Empowering Pharmacists With Data.

Since the mid-1990s, pharmacists have played a key role in medication safety and quality by preventing medication errors, improving patient outcomes, and ensuring medication use is safe and effective. But improvements to the process constantly evolve. Ensuring high-quality, safe medical care is the primary goal of both pharmacies and pharmacists and is essential to the industry's efforts to protect the public.

Prevalence and Risk Factors Associated with Depressive Symptoms Among Healthcare Professionals at a Tertiary Care Hospital in Mogadishu, Somalia: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Depression, a prevalent mental health issue, can significantly impact healthcare workers (HCWs), leading to decreased productivity, increased turnover, and high medical errors. However, there is a dearth of information regarding depression among healthcare professionals in Somalia. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the magnitude and risk factors associated with depressive symptoms among healthcare professionals in Mogadishu, Somalia. A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among HCWs at Erdogan Hospital, in the capital city of Somalia. Data was collected using questionnaires on socio demographic, work-related characteristics and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify variables associated with depressive symptoms. A p-values of 0.05 as a cutoff for a significant association. The prevalence of depressive symptoms among healthcare professionals was 48.9% (95% CI: 45.4-56.9%). In multivariable analysis, being female (AOR = 2.05; 95% CI: 1.17-3.60), being a nurse (AOR = 3.11; 95% CI: 1.14-8.48), unmarried (AOR = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.04-3.21), having insufficient sleep (AOR = 2.61; 95% CI: 1.45-4.70), a family history of mental illness (AOR = 3.31; 95% CI: 1.49-7.36), lack of physical activity (AOR = 2.59; 95% CI: 1.19-5.62), and having low social support (AOR = 3.06; 95% CI: 1.17-7.98) were all associated with increased odds of experiencing depressive symptoms. The study showed that nearly half of healthcare professionals experienced depressive symptoms. The study underscores the importance of efficient screening methods for identifying psychological symptoms in healthcare professionals, which is essential for enhancing their mental health and patient care. Therefore, we recommend that healthcare institutions and policymakers develop and implement screening measures to identify and improve the mental health well-being of HCWs, as well as provide high-quality patient care.

The wizard of artificial intelligence: Are physicians prepared?

BACKGROUND: Despite the increasing use of artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine, research into the knowledge and attitudes of medical experts toward AI is limited. This study aimed to assess physicians’ attitudes and perceptions of AI applications in healthcare. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the College of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia between November 1 and December 20, 2023. Data was collected using a web-based validated self-administered questionnaire; information sought included demographics, familiarity with AI technology, attitudes towards AI applications in medicine, and perceived risks associated with its implementation. Data analysis performed using SPSS. Categorical variables were presented as frequencies and percentages, whereas mean and standard deviations were calculated for continuous variables. Four domains were used as study variables: familiarity, attitude, AI application, and possible risks. The domains were compared to the scored individual question using Pearson’s correlation coefficient. RESULTS: A total of 128 academic staff participated (response rate 21.3%). About 41% reported being aware of AI as an emerging field and expressed desire to learn about AI. Concerns about the effect of AI on physicians’ employability were not prominent. Instead, most (65.6%) agreed that new positions would be created and that the job market for those who embraced AI would increase. Thirty-two percent reported actively seeking out new technologies in their practice areas, and 24.2% would be willing to adapt AI to practice if its usefulness was published in scientific journals. Most participants (87.5%) agreed that dedicated courses would help them implement AI in their specialty. The most commonly reported problem of AI was its inability to provide opinions in unexpected scenarios. A quarter of participants believed that both AI creators and doctors should be liable for AI-caused medical errors. Physician’s age, gender, or years of experience were not related to their familiarity with or attitudes toward AI. CONCLUSION: Doctors are open to learning about AI use in medicine. Including AI learning objectives or short courses in medical curricula would help physicians develop the necessary skills for an AI-augmented healthcare system.

Exploring Barriers in Self-Reporting of Errors and Near Misses: A Cross-Sectional Study on Radiation Oncology in Saudi Arabia.

Radiation therapy utilizes complex technologies to target tumors. Radiation therapy is not immune to human errors. Reporting medical errors and near misses is crucial to improving patient outcomes and ensuring the safety of future patients. This study aimed to measure the attitudes of radiotherapy staff members in Saudi Arabia regarding reporting errors and near misses in radiation therapy practice. It also examined the participants' reporting patterns and behaviors and explored the potential barriers to reporting errors and near misses as perceived by the participants. A cross-sectional study utilizing an online questionnaire was implemented. A sample of 70health professionals working in radiation oncology departments in Saudi Arabia, including radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and radiotherapists, were recruited to participate in this study from January to June 2023. The data was analyzed using chi-squared testing to compare different groups, and the Kruskal-Wallis was used to find any statistically significant differences between different groups. The study included 70 radiotherapy staff members. Professional roles did not significantly impact participants' decisions to report minor or major errors, with most consistently reporting errors to their supervisors regardless of role. The study revealed that fear of professional sanctions and the potential negative impact on a department's reputation are significant barriers to reporting errors or near misses. However, Only 17% of radiation oncologists did consider departmental sanctions as a barrier. Participants identified communication failure as the most significant source of errors in radiation oncology departments. The study also found a high level of agreement among the participants regarding the responsibility of reporting errors and near misses. The study investigated reporting errors and near misses in radiotherapy and considered the factors influencing them. The findings highlight the importance of effective communication and the implementation of an electronic reporting system.

Closing the loop: Utilizing advanced practice providers for a 7-day post hospital discharge follow-up of GI oncology patients at an academic cancer center.

304 Background: Acute care visits for oncology patients may be preventable, especially for high-risk patients with a recent hospitalization. During our 2023 Fiscal Year, we observed an approximate 22% rate for 30 day readmissions for oncology patients, with our gastrointestinal (GI) oncology patients having the most readmissions, at Stanford Cancer Center. Readmission review through clinician surveys suggested that about 28% of unplanned admissions may have been preventable, with root cause analysis identifying timely access to ambulatory symptom management as a major driver. Methods: We established a cancer transitional care (CTC) clinic to provide consistent and timely post-discharge follow-up for oncology patients. We initiated a pilot program for GI oncology patients (chosen due to high acuity and readmission rate) who had an unplanned admission to Stanford Hospital. We aimed to schedule a visit with an advanced practice provider (APPs) within 7 days of discharge. The A3 problem solving process was implemented weekly by a multidisciplinary team. We created a referral in our electronic medical record. Inpatient oncology teams were instructed to place this referral within 3 days before discharge, allowing for adequate patient and family education regarding the goals of CTC visits and ample time for the post-discharge CTC visit to be scheduled prior to patient discharge. Prior to CTC visits, pharmacists performed outreach to reconcile medications to reduce medication errors. Eight oncology APPs were trained regarding the focused nature of a CTC visit, including symptom management, medication reconciliation, and goals of care discussions. Results: At baseline, from June 1 and November 30th, 2023, 61% of patients had follow-up within 7 days of discharge and 12% of patients with none. Between December 13, 2023 and April 19, 2024, CTC implementation resulted in a total of 220 referrals for GI oncology discharges, yielding 144 CTC clinic visits. Resulting in 66.1% of patients having follow up within 7 days of discharge and 9% of patients had no follow up scheduled. 79% of visits were within 7 days of discharge, representing a 29% increase in our goal scheduling timeline. The average time between discharge date and CTC visit was 6.2 days. Sixty six patients also received detailed pharmacy reviews with medication reconciliation and addressing medication access issues. Conclusions: Through our CTC clinic, we standardized post-discharge follow-up access for GI oncology patients, reducing variability in follow up. We plan to disseminate this model across medical oncology subspecialty clinics. Barriers included standardization of follow up with clinical team and expectations for the visit for both patients and clinicians. Future directions include integrating same day symptom management and urgent care access.

Perspectives toward the application of Artificial Intelligence in anesthesiology-related practices in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study of physicians views.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) relies on computer science and large datasets, with the technology mimicking human intelligence as it makes logical decisions. This study aims to assess the perceptions and experiences of anesthesiology practitioners toward AI and identify its benefits to healthcare professionals and patients, along with current and future applications of AI. This cross-sectional descriptive online survey study was disseminated to physicians who work in anesthesiology practice in Saudi Arabia. Descriptive statistics were used to report the characteristics of the respondents and summarize the results of the survey. There were 109 responses, with 85.32% being male, 35.78% being aged 40-49 years, and 69.72% being consultant anesthesiologists. The majority of participants (73.39%) believed that AI could be used in multiple settings related to anesthesiology practice. Participants also believed that AI could facilitate access to data (76.15%), enable precise decision-making (75.23%), reduce medical errors (55.04%), reduce workload and shortage of healthcare personnel (53.21%), and allow healthcare personnel to focus on more demanding cases (69.72%). In addition, the majority of participants believed that AI can be beneficial to patients, in which 69.72% believed that AI can improve patient access to care, 77.06% believed that AI can facilitate patient education, and 65.14% believed that AI can guide patients during treatment. Lastly, 70.64% believed that AI would be beneficial to anesthesiology practices in the future. However, 61.47% claimed that their workplace has no plan for adopting AI. The anesthesiologists showed generally positive attitudes towards AI, in spite of its limited utilization and implementation challenges. Strong beliefs exist about AI's future potential in anesthesia care and postgraduate education.

Medication Dosing for Children With Overweight and Obesity.

Approximately 14.7 million US children aged 2 to 19 years are obese. This creates significant challenges to dosing medications that are primarily weight based (mg/kg) and in predicting pharmacokinetics parameters in pediatric patients. Obese individuals generally have a larger volume of distribution (Vd) for lipophilic medications. Conversely, the Vd of hydrophilic medications may be increased or decreased owing to increased lean body mass, blood volume, and decreased percentage of total body water. They may also experience decreased hepatic clearance secondary to fatty infiltrates of the liver. Hence, obesity may affect loading dose, dosage interval, plasma half-life, and time to reach steady-state concentration for various medications. Weight-based dosing is also a cause for potential medication errors. This position statement of the Pediatric Pharmacy Association recommends that weight-based dosing should be used in patients ages <18 years who weigh <40 kg; weight-based dosing should be used in patients ≥40 kg, unless the recommended adult dose for the specific indication is exceeded; clinicians should use pharmacokinetic analysis for adjusting medications in children diagnosed with overweight and obesity; and research efforts continue to evaluate dosing of medications in children diagnosed with overweight and obesity.

Comparison of the effects of medication error encouragement training and problem-based scenario on the medication safety competence and knowledge of nursing students: A quasi-experimental study

BackgroundMedication errors among nursing students pose a threat to medication safety. Medication Error Encouragement Training and Problem Based Scenario are two innovative educational methods used in medication education. AimCompare the effects of Medication Error Encouragement Training and Problem Based Scenario on the knowledge and competency of medication safety among nursing students. DesignQuasi -experimental, double-blind, two-group pretest-posttest study. MethodThis study was conducted in 2023. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: one group received the Medication Error Encouragement Training method, while the other group was taught using the Problem-Based Scenario method. Data collection was performed using the Medication Safety Critical Element Checklist and Medication Safety Knowledge Assessment before and four weeks after the intervention. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 16. ResultsThe Pair t-test demonstrated that the change in competency and knowledge scores of medication safety before and after the intervention was significant in both groups (P< 0.05). The results of the Mancova test indicated a significant increase in medication safety competency scores in the Medication Error Encouragement Training group compared with the Problem Based Scenario group after the intervention (P< 0.05), while there was no significant difference in medication safety knowledge scores between the two groups after the intervention (P> 0.05). ConclusionThe Medication Error Encouragement and Problem Based Scenario methods were effective in increasing the knowledge and competency of medication safety among students, but the effectiveness of the Medication Error Encouragement method was more pronounced in achieving safe medication administration.

Assessing the Level of Knowledge Regarding Medication Errors among Nurses in Karachi, Pakistan

One of the key elements influencing hospital service quality and decreasing patient safety in healthcare systems is medical error. In the healthcare industry, medication errors are a frequent source of harm and fatalities. Objective: To assess the level of knowledge among nurses regarding medication errors. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Karachi among 120 nurses from January 2024 to March 2024. Participants were selected through a convenient sampling technique. The sample size was calculated by open EPI softer by taking into consideration a 95% confidence level and a 5% margin of error. The data were entered and analyzed by Statistical Package Social Sciences software version 26. Results: According to the study results, 14 (12%) of the participants had a low level of knowledge, and 37 (31%), had a moderate level of knowledge. while 69 (57%) had a high level of knowledge regarding medication errors. Conclusion: This study concluded that most of the nurses had a high level of knowledge regarding medication errors.