Concomitant prescribing and dispensing errors at a Brazilian hospital: a descriptive study
Clinics
;
66(10): 1691-1697, 2011. ilus, tab
Article
in English
| LILACS
| ID: lil-601901
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
To analyze the prevalence and types of prescribing and dispensing errors occurring with high-alert medications and to propose preventive measures to avoid errors with these medications.INTRODUCTION:
The prevalence of adverse events in health care has increased, and medication errors are probably the most common cause of these events. Pediatric patients are known to be a high-risk group and are an important target in medication error prevention.METHODS:
Observers collected data on prescribing and dispensing errors occurring with high-alert medications for pediatric inpatients in a university hospital. In addition to classifying the types of error that occurred, we identified cases of concomitant prescribing and dispensing errors.RESULTS:
One or more prescribing errors, totaling 1,632 errors, were found in 632 (89.6 percent) of the 705 high-alert medications that were prescribed and dispensed. We also identified at least one dispensing error in each high-alert medication dispensed, totaling 1,707 errors. Among these dispensing errors, 723 (42.4 percent) content errors occurred concomitantly with the prescribing errors. A subset of dispensing errors may have occurred because of poor prescription quality. The observed concomitancy should be examined carefully because improvements in the prescribing process could potentially prevent these problems.CONCLUSION:
The system of drug prescribing and dispensing at the hospital investigated in this study should be improved by incorporating the best practices of medication safety and preventing medication errors. High-alert medications may be used as triggers for improving the safety of the drug-utilization system.
Full text:
Available
Index:
LILACS (Americas)
Main subject:
Drug Prescriptions
/
Pharmaceutical Preparations
/
Inappropriate Prescribing
/
Hospitals, Pediatric
Type of study:
Practice guideline
/
Observational study
/
Prevalence study
/
Risk factors
Limits:
Child
/
Humans
Country/Region as subject:
South America
/
Brazil
Language:
English
Journal:
Clinics
Journal subject:
Medicine
Year:
2011
Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Brazil
/
United kingdom
Institution/Affiliation country:
Federal University of Minas Gerais/BR
/
Fundação Hospitalar de Minas Gerais/BR
/
University of London/GB
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