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Prescription and transcription errors in multidose-dispensed medications on discharge from hospital: an observationaland interventional study
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical pharmacogenomics and osteoporosis.
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Division of Pharmacokinetics and Drug Therapy. (PKPD)
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy, Medicinska och farmaceutiska vetenskapsområdet, centrumbildningar mm, UCR-Uppsala Clinical Research Center.
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Medicine and Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Sciences, Clinical pharmacogenomics and osteoporosis.
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2013 (English)In: Journal of Evaluation In Clinical Practice, ISSN 1356-1294, E-ISSN 1365-2753, Vol. 19, no 1, p. 185-191Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Background 

Medication errors frequently occur when patients are transferred between health care settings. The main objective of this study was to investigate the frequency, type and severity of prescribing and transcribing errors for drugs dispensed in multidose plastic packs when patients are discharged from the hospital. The secondary objective was to correct identified errors and suggest measures to promote safe prescribing.

Methods 

The drugs on the patients' multidose drug dispensing (MDD) order sheets and the medication administration records were reconciled prior to the MDD orders being sent to the pharmacy for dispensing. Discrepancies were recorded and the prescribing physician was notified and given the opportunity to change the order. Discrepancies categorized as unintentional and related to the discharge process were subject to further analysis.

Results 

Seventy-two (25%) of the 290 reviewed MDD orders had at least one discharge error. In total, 120 discharge errors were identified, of which 49 (41%) were assessed as being of moderate and three (3%) of major severity. Orders with a higher number of medications and orders from the orthopaedic wards had a significantly higher error rate.

Conclusion 

The main purpose of the MDD system is to increase patient safety by reducing medication errors. However, this study shows that prescribing and transcribing errors frequently occur when patients are hospitalized. Because the population enrolled in the MDD system is an elderly, physically vulnerable group with a high number of prescribed drugs, preventive measures to ensure safe prescribing of MDD drugs are warranted.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2013. Vol. 19, no 1, p. 185-191
Keywords [en]
medication error, medication reconciliation, multi-dose dispensed medications, patient safety, prescription error, transition of care
National Category
Social and Clinical Pharmacy
Research subject
Pharmaceutical Science; Pharmacokinetics and Drug Therapy
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-167137DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2753.2011.01798.xISI: 000314114400026OAI: oai:DiVA.org:uu-167137DiVA, id: diva2:481722
Available from: 2012-01-22 Created: 2012-01-22 Last updated: 2018-01-12
In thesis
1. Effects of Clinical Pharmacists' Interventions: on Drug-Related Hospitalisation and Appropriateness of Prescribing in Elderly Patients
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Effects of Clinical Pharmacists' Interventions: on Drug-Related Hospitalisation and Appropriateness of Prescribing in Elderly Patients
2012 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The overall aim of this thesis was to evaluate clinical pharmacist interventions with the focus on methods aiming to improve the quality of drug therapy and increase patient safety. Adverse drug events caused by medication errors, suboptimal dosages and inappropriate prescribing are common causes of drug-related morbidity and mortality. Clinical pharmacists integrated in multi-professional health-care teams are increasingly addressing these issues. A randomised controlled trial (RCT) was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of clinical pharmacists’ interventions in reducing morbidity and use of hospital care for patients 80 years or older. The results showed that the intervention group had fewer visits to hospital and that the intervention was cost-effective. In a subsequent study based on the population in the RCT, the appropriateness of prescribing was assessed using three validated tools. The results indicated improved appropriateness of prescribing for the intervention group as a result of the intervention. The tools and the number of drugs at discharge were then tested for validity in terms of causal links between the scores at discharge and hospitalisation. No clear correlations between high scores for the tools or a high number of drugs and increased risk of hospitalisation could be detected. During the inclusion period of the RCT a survey based study was conducted where the perceived value of ward-based clinical pharmacists, from the perspective of hospital-based physicians and nurses as well as from general practitioners (GPs) was evaluated. The respondents were positive to the new collaboration to a high degree and stated increased patient safety and improvements in patients’ drug therapy as the main advantages. In the last study the frequency and severity of prescription and transcription errors, when patients enrolled in the multidose-dispensed medications (MDD) system are discharged from hospital, was investigated. The results showed that errors frequently occur when MDD patients are hospitalised.

 

 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 2012. p. 58
Series
Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Pharmacy, ISSN 1651-6192 ; 154
Keywords
Drug-related problems, medication review, appropriateness of prescribing, quality of prescribing, hospitalisation, pharmacist, clinical pharmacy, inter-professional relationships, collaboration, medication error, medication reconciliation, multidose-dispensed medications, prescription errors, transition of care
National Category
Social and Clinical Pharmacy
Research subject
Pharmaceutical Science
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-167343 (URN)978-91-554-8262-6 (ISBN)
Public defence
2012-03-09, B:8, BMC, Husargatan 3, Uppsala, 09:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2012-02-17 Created: 2012-01-25 Last updated: 2018-01-12Bibliographically approved
2. Improving the Quality and Safety of Drug Use in Hospitalized Elderly: Assessing the Effects of Clinical Pharmacist Interventions and Identifying Patients at Risk of Drug-related Morbidity and Mortality
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Improving the Quality and Safety of Drug Use in Hospitalized Elderly: Assessing the Effects of Clinical Pharmacist Interventions and Identifying Patients at Risk of Drug-related Morbidity and Mortality
2014 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Older people admitted to hospital are at high risk of rehospitalization and medication errors. We have demonstrated, in a randomized controlled trial, that a clinical pharmacist intervention reduces the incidence of revisits to hospital for patients aged 80 years or older admitted to an acute internal medicine ward. The aims of this thesis were to further study the effects of the intervention and to investigate possibilities of targeting the intervention by identifying predictors of treatment response or adverse health outcomes.

The effect of the pharmacist intervention on the appropriateness of prescribing was assessed, by using three validated tools. This study showed that the quality of prescribing was improved for the patients in the intervention group but not for those in the control group. However, no association between the appropriateness of prescribing at discharge and revisits to hospital was observed.

Subgroup analyses explored whether the clinical pharmacist intervention was equally effective in preventing emergency department visits in patients with few or many prescribed drugs and in those with different levels of inappropriate prescribing on admission. The intervention appeared to be most effective in patients taking fewer drugs, but the treatment effect was not altered by appropriateness of prescribing.

The most relevant risk factors for rehospitalization and mortality were identified for the same study population, and a score for risk-estimation was constructed and internally validated (the 80+ score). Seven variables were selected. Impaired renal function, pulmonary disease, malignant disease, living in a nursing home, being prescribed an opioid and being prescribed a drug for peptic ulcer or gastroesophageal reflux disease were associated with an increased risk, while being prescribed an antidepressant drug (tricyclic antidepressants not included) was linked with a lower risk. These variables made up the components of the 80+ score. Pending external validation, this score has potential to aid identification of high-risk patients.

The last study investigated the occurrence of prescription errors when patients with multi-dose dispensed (MDD) drugs were discharged from hospital. Twenty-five percent of the MDD orders contained at least one medication prescription error. Almost half of the errors were of moderate or major severity, with potential to cause increased health-care utilization. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Upsaliensis, 2014. p. 65
Series
Digital Comprehensive Summaries of Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Medicine, ISSN 1651-6206 ; 1049
Keywords
Adverse drug events, inappropriate prescribing, medication errors, polypharmacy, medication reconciliation, medication review, patient drug counseling, multi-dose dispensed drugs, risk-estimation, multiprofessional collaboration, prediction model, quality measure, rehospitalization
National Category
Clinical Medicine Geriatrics Pharmaceutical Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-234488 (URN)978-91-554-9088-1 (ISBN)
Public defence
2014-12-11, Aula Gunnesalen, Ingång 10, Akademiska sjukhuset, Uppsala, 09:15 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2014-11-19 Created: 2014-10-20 Last updated: 2018-01-11

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Alassaad, AnnaBertilsson, MariaMelhus, HåkanHammarlund-Udenaes, Margareta

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