Abstract

ROLE OF CLINICAL PHARMACIST IN IDENTIFICATION OF MEDICATION ERRORS IN A HOSPITAL

Mohammad Ather Ali*, Dr. Pawan Kumar and Dr. Mohammed Younus Ali

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Abstract

Medication errors can occur at any stage of the treatment process, from prescribing to administration. It raises healthcare costs, and reduces patients' quality of life. Objective: Identification of the medication errors and analyze the severity of medication error according to NCCMERP index. Methods: A Prospective observational study was conducted over a period of 12 months in a hospital. Patients admitted to the Depts. of Ophthalmology, ENT, Pulmonology, and Gen medicine, were selected randomly by considering the study criteria. The data collected were analyzed for Identifying Medication errors such as Prescribing errors, Administration errors, Dispensing errors. Results: A total of 1200 In-patients prescriptions were collected during study period. Out of1200 In-patients prescriptions 372(31%) had errors and 828(69%) without errors. A total of 426 MEs were identified in 372 In-patients prescriptions. Among 426 MEs, Prescription centered MEs were 322(76%) followed by Administration centered MEs74 (17%) and Dispensing centered MEs were 30(7%). The NCCMERP index was used to determine the degree of harm caused by the medication errors. Among 426 MEs, Category- A (No Error) were found in 140(32.86%), Category-B (Error No Harm) were130 (30.51%), Category-C (Error No Harm) were90 (21.12%), Category-D (Error No Harm) were 66(15.49%). Conclusion: The study results indicated that the medication errors are significant at study site which highlights the need of conducting the educational programs regarding medication errors and its prevention strategies. A clinical pharmacist can be extremely helpful in identifying and preventing medication errors.

Keywords: Medication errors, NCCMERP, Clinical pharmacist.