Keeping patients safe through medication review and management in the community.

Autor: Idris, Muhammad Usamah Bin Mohamed, Jamil, Nursa'adah Binte, Yi, Xu, Su-Fee, Lim, Yuh, Ang Shin, Aloweni, Fazila, Towle, Rachel Marie
Předmět:
Zdroj: British Journal of Community Nursing; Jun2024, Vol. 29 Issue 6, p288-293, 6p
Abstrakt: Background: There are numerous publications on inpatient medication errors. However, little focus is given to medication errors that occur at home. Aims: To describe and analyse the types of medication errors among community-dwelling patients following their discharge from an acute care hospital in Singapore. Method: This is a retrospective review of a 'good catch' reporting system from December 2018 to March 2022. Medication-related errors were extracted and analysed. Findings: A total of 73 reported medication-related error incidents were reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 78 years old (SD=9). Most patients managed their medications independently at home (45.2%, n=33). The majority of medications involved were cardiovascular medications (51.5%, n=50). Incorrect dosing (41.1%, n=39) was the most common medication error reported. Poor understanding of medication usage (35.6%, n=26) and lack of awareness of medication changes after discharge (24.7%, n=18) were the primary causes of the errors. Conclusion: This study's findings provide valuable insights into reducing medication errors at home. More attention must be given to post-discharge care, especially to preventable medication errors. Medication administration and management education can be emphasised using teach-back methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Databáze: Complementary Index