Prevalence Of Prescribing Errors Research Articles

Prescribing errors in post - COVID-19 patients: prevalence, severity, and risk factors in patients visiting a post - COVID-19 outpatient clinic

BackgroundSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has challenged healthcare globally. An acute increase in the number of hospitalized patients has necessitated a rigorous reorganization of hospital care, thereby creating circumstances that previously have been identified as facilitating prescribing errors (PEs), e.g. a demanding work environment, a high turnover of doctors, and prescribing beyond expertise. Hospitalized COVID-19 patients may be at risk of PEs, potentially resulting in patient harm. We determined the prevalence, severity, and risk factors for PEs in post–COVID-19 patients, hospitalized during the first wave of COVID-19 in the Netherlands, 3 months after discharge.MethodsThis prospective observational cohort study recruited patients who visited a post-COVID-19 outpatient clinic of an academic hospital in the Netherlands, 3 months after COVID-19 hospitalization, between June 1 and October 1 2020. All patients with appointments were eligible for inclusion. The prevalence and severity of PEs were assessed in a multidisciplinary consensus meeting. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by univariate and multivariate analysis to identify independent risk factors for PEs.ResultsNinety-eight patients were included, of whom 92% had ≥1 PE and 8% experienced medication-related harm requiring an immediate change in medication therapy to prevent detoriation. Overall, 68% of all identified PEs were made during or after the COVID-19 related hospitalization. Multivariate analyses identified ICU admission (OR 6.08, 95% CI 2.16–17.09) and a medical history of COPD / asthma (OR 5.36, 95% CI 1.34–21.5) as independent risk factors for PEs.ConclusionsPEs occurred frequently during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Patients admitted to an ICU during COVID-19 hospitalization or who had a medical history of COPD / asthma were at risk of PEs. These risk factors can be used to identify high-risk patients and to implement targeted interventions. Awareness of prescribing safely is crucial to prevent harm in this new patient population.

Prescribing errors and associated factors in discharge prescriptions in the emergency department: A prospective cross-sectional study.

Evidence regarding the prevalence of medication prescribing errors (PEs) and potential factors that increase PEs among patients treated in the emergency department (ED) are limited. This study aimed to explore the prevalence and nature of PEs in discharge prescriptions in the ED and identify potential risk factors associated with PEs. This was a prospective observational cross-sectional study in an ambulatory ED in a tertiary teaching hospital. Data were collected for six months using a customized reporting tool. All patients discharged from ED with a discharged prescription within the study period were enrolled in this study. About 13.5% (n = 68) of the 504 prescriptions reviewed (for 504 patients) had at least one error. Main PEs encountered were wrong dose (23.2%), wrong frequency (20.7%), and wrong strength errors (14.6%). About 36.8% of identified PEs were related to pediatric prescriptions, followed by the acute care emergency unit (26.5%) and the triage emergency unit (20.6%). The main leading human-related causes associated with PEs were lack of knowledge (40.9%) followed by an improper selection from a computer operator list (31.8%). The leading contributing systems related factors were pre-printed medication orders (50%), lack of training (31.5%), noise level (13.0%), and frequent interruption of prescriber and distraction (11.1%). Prescribers' involved with the identified errors were resident physicians (39.4%), specialists (30.3%), and (24.4%) were made by general practitioners. Physicians rejected around 12% of the pharmacist-raised recommendations related to the identified PEs as per their clinical judgment. PEs in ED setting are common, and multiple human and systems-related factors may contribute to the development of PEs. Further training to residents and proper communication between the healthcare professionals may reduce the risk of PEs in ED.

Prevalence of prescription errors in general practice in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Purpose: Prescription errors are a common cause of adverse drug events (ADEs). Recognizing ADEs can significantly contribute to the reduction of morbidity and mortality. This study aims to investigate the type and prevalence of errors in prescription writing, directed toward a needs assessment for developing educational interventions.Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in Jeddah community pharmacies (January–February 2016). A random sample of 117 prescriptions were reviewed and analyzed by community pharmacists for legibility and omission of the information in the prescription.Results: Results revealed that 51% of the prescriptions included diagnosis, in which 62% included the recommended drug dosage. Only 7% of drug interactions were reported between the prescribed drugs, 17% of the physicians prescribed drugs that prevented the adverse effects used for diagnosis. Prescriptions for chronic conditions were scrutinized to be 18%. It was noteworthy that 29% of the pharmacists reported difficulty in reading the handwriting of prescriptions.Conclusions: The quality of prescription writing is deficient in some elements and strategies for improvement are needed. These findings underscore a crucial requirement to upgrade the quality of prescription writing by encouraging continuous medical education programs to facilitate delivery of excellent therapeutic outcomes.

Comparative prevalence of prescription errors in randomly collected samples from hospital pharmacy and community pharmacy, Punjab, Pakistan

Objective: This study was conducted to analyze and evaluate the prevalence of prescription errors, to optimize the medication effectiveness and patient safety and to encourage the rational prescribing practices. Method: sample of 250 prescriptions was randomly collected from outdoor hospital pharmacy (n=157) and from community pharmacy (n=93) and analyzed manually to estimate the prevalence of prescription errors. Results: Results calculated by using SPPS Version 23 and MS Excel 2013 are as follow; 41.4% prescription collected from outdoor hospital pharmacy presented significant prescribing errors while 54.7% in sample collected from community pharmacy. The prescriptions were segregated and errors were estimated using following parameters; dose, dosage form, dosing frequency, drug-drug interactions, spelling, and duplication of generic, therapy duration and unnecessary drugs. Conclusion: The prevalence of prescribing errors in sample of community pharmacy was 12.37% greater than found in prescriptions of hospital pharmacy. The prevalence of prescription errors can be reduced by physician education, using automated prescribing systems and immediate review of prescription by pharmacist before dispensing of prescription items to patients.

Prevalence and pattern of prescription errors in a Nigerian kidney hospital.

To determine (i) the prevalence and pattern of prescription errors in our Centre and, (ii) appraise pharmacists' intervention and correction of identified prescription errors. A descriptive, single blinded cross-sectional study. Kidney Care Centre is a public Specialist hospital. The monthly patient load averages 60 General Out-patient cases and 17.4 in-patients. A total of 31 medical doctors (comprising of 2 Consultant Nephrologists, 15 Medical Officers, 14 House Officers), 40 nurses and 24 ward assistants participated in the study. One pharmacist runs the daily call schedule. Prescribers were blinded to the study. Prescriptions containing only galenicals were excluded. An error detection mechanism was set up to identify and correct prescription errors. Life-threatening prescriptions were discussed with the Quality Assurance Team of the Centre who conveyed such errors to the prescriber without revealing the on-going study. Prevalence of prescription errors, pattern of prescription errors, pharmacist's intervention. A total of 2,660 (75.0%) combined prescription errors were found to have one form of error or the other; illegitimacy 1,388 (52.18%), omission 1,221(45.90%), wrong dose 51(1.92%) and no error of style was detected. Life-threatening errors were low (1.1-2.2%). Errors were found more commonly among junior doctors and non-medical doctors. Only 56 (1.6%) of the errors were detected and corrected during the process of dispensing. Prescription errors related to illegitimacy and omissions were highly prevalent. There is a need to improve on patient-to-healthcare giver ratio. A medication quality assurance unit is needed in our hospitals. No financial support was received by any of the authors for this study.

Impact of prescribing and dispensing errors in patients on antiretroviral treatment in South Africa

The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and types of prescription errors and their impact on patients receiving antiretroviral treatment from a community pharmacy. A review of prescriptions was performed. The study population included all prescriptions of uninsured patients served during the study period. Of these, 12 (6.2%) errors were made during dispensing; while 181 (93.8%) errors occurred during the prescription stage. Of the type of errors committed, the most common prescription error was the incorrect or inappropriate regimen (33%); while the most common dispensing error was the omission error (50%). Though the majority of these errors were apprehended by pharmacists and corrected, some errors reached the patients. Although no fatal outcome was reported, these errors caused some temporary harm that necessitated the monitoring and hospitalization of the victims. The prevalence of prescription errors was 27.1% and the most common error was incorrect regimen. This finding suggests the need for continuing medical education on good antiretroviral treatment prescribing and dispensing practices. Key words: Dispensing errors, patients, antiretroviral treatment.