Frequency of and risk factors for medication errors by pharmacists during order verification in a tertiary care medical center.

PURPOSE: The frequency of and risk factors for medication errors by pharmacists during order verification in a tertiary care medical center were reviewed. METHODS: This retrospective, secondary database study was conducted at a large tertiary care medical center in Houston, Texas. Inpatient and outpatient medication orders and medication errors recorded between July 1, 2011, and June 30, 2012, were reviewed. Independent variables assessed as risk factors for medication errors included workload (mean number of orders verified per pharmacist per shift), work environment (type of day, type of shift, and mean number of pharmacists per shift), and nonmodifiable characteristics of the pharmacist (type of pharmacy degree obtained, age, number of years practicing, and number of years at the institution). RESULTS: A total of 1,887,751 medication orders, 92 medication error events, and 50 pharmacists were included in the study. The overall error rate was 4.87 errors per 100,000 verified orders. An increasing medication error rate was associated with an increased number of orders verified per pharmacist (p = 0.007), the type of shift (p = 0.021), the type of day (p = 0.002), and the mean number of pharmacists per shift (p = 0.001). Pharmacist demographic variables were not associated with risk of error. The number of orders per shift was identified as a significant independent risk factor for medication errors (p = 0.019). CONCLUSION: An increase in the number of orders verified per shift was associated with an increased rate of pharmacist errors during order verification in a tertiary care medical center.

Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative task force report: Improving participation in a survey on hospital pharmacy practices in Texas.

PURPOSE: Results of an initiative to increase participation in a survey on hospital pharmacy practices are reported. METHODS: In an initiative led by pharmacy residents at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, a task force was created to boost the rate of response to the Hospital-Assessment Survey (HSA), an online benchmarking tool developed as part of the ASHP-sponsored Pharmacy Practice Model Initiative (PPMI). Under the guidance of leaders from ASHP's Texas affiliate and state health-system pharmacy leaders, an 11-member team of residents targeted Texas hospitals that had not responded to the HSA as of December 2013 and used phone and e-mail methods to encourage survey participation. Data obtained from newly responding institutions were aggregated with previously collected data on Texas facilities and compared with national data. RESULTS: During the 11-week initiative, 66 new HSA responses were received from Texas hospitals, raising the total number of respondents to 89 and boosting the overall participation rate from 4.3% to 16.7% (p <0.001). Analysis of the survey data indicated broad similarities among small and large Texas hospitals with regard to six optimal practice characteristics. Pharmacy practice models and characteristics in Texas overall were largely consistent with national statistics. CONCLUSION: The involvement of the PPMI task force was associated with a substantial increase in the survey response rate. The survey results indicated that, with a few exceptions, practice models and the use of optimal practices were similar at Texas hospitals of various sizes and between Texas hospitals overall and sampled hospitals nationwide.