Medication error prevalence
| Autor: | Ana Belén Jiménez Muñoz, Antonio Muiño Miguez, María Sanjurjo Sáez, María Esther Durán García, María Paz Rodriguez Pérez, María Dolores Vigil Escribano |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2010 |
| Předmět: |
Adult
Medication Systems Hospital Pediatrics medicine.medical_specialty Nursing staff Prevalence Nursing Staff Hospital Medication error Drug treatment Hospital Administration Epidemiology medicine Humans Medication Errors Medical prescription Child Adverse effect Identifies medication Aged Aged 80 and over business.industry Health Policy Infant Middle Aged General Business Management and Accounting Child Preschool business |
| Zdroj: | International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance. 23:328-338 |
| ISSN: | 0952-6862 |
| Popis: | PurposeHealthcare risk epidemiology identifies medication error as the commonest cause of adverse effects on patients. Medication error can occur at any phase of the complex medication process so prevalence rates need to be estimated at each drug treatment phase: prescription, transcription and administration along with their clinical repercussions. This paper aims to investigate this issue.Design/methodology/approachMedication errors were recorded on an ad hoc sheet and staff were observed handling medications. Recorded errors were later classified and their clinical repercussions determined by experts.FindingsIn total 757 inpatients and 5,466 drug prescriptions were studied. The prescription error rate was 4.79 percent (95 percent CI 4.21‐5.36). The most frequent error in this phase was failing to observe international prescribing standards. The highest error rate was found in transcription (14.61 percent, 95 percent CI 13.67‐15.54). Almost 1,900 dose administrations were observed. There was a 9.32 percent error rate (95 percent CI 7.98‐10.67). The commonest error in this phase was omission. Most were transcription errors, which were detected before harm was done.Research limitations/implicationsThe dispensation phase is absent.Practical implicationsErrors can be reduced if they are understood. Education and training based on the study's findings can reduce medication errors.Originality/valueThe paper highlights ways to reduce errors in the medication process. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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