Role of Pharmacists in Detecting Medication Errors in Saudi Arabia: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Objectives: To study the pharmacists’ contributions to medication error (ME) prevention in Saudi Arabia Methods: To locate research that met the inclusion criteria, a thorough computerized search of relevant databases was carried out. A comprehensive search was carried out on PubMed, SCOPUS, Science Direct, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science to locate relevant material. Results: Our data included seven trials with 83,705 MEs. MEs reported by pharmacists varied across studies, with rates ranging from approximately 54% to over 96%. The majority of errors reported were related to prescribing and dispensing, with pharmacists consistently identifying more errors compared to other healthcare professionals. Key challenges included poor communication between pharmacists and physicians, which contributed to the occurrence of MEs. The review also highlighted the lack of reporting by other healthcare providers, underscoring the need for a more collaborative approach to reducing MEs. Conclusion: Pharmacists play a critical role in improving medication safety, but there are gaps in research and practice. While they have proven to be effective in reducing errors, more work is needed to encourage other healthcare professionals to take a more active role in reporting and preventing these errors. Future studies should focus on prospective designs, improving inter-professional communication, and exploring the role of pharmacists in non-hospital settings.

Keywords

• Pharmacists; Medication errors; Error prevention; Prescribing errors; Dispensing errors; Clinical pharmacists; Saudi Arabia; Systematic review.