Assessment of Medication Errors at King Khalid Hospital in Hail Region, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Background: Medication errors (MEs) are one of the common types of medical errors that have a significant effect on a patient’s health and contribute to mortality and morbidity. This study is designed to detect MEs at King Khalid hospital (KKH) in the Hail region. The objective of this study is to determine the rate, contributing factors, and adverse consequences of MEs at KKH, Hail, Kingdom Saudi Arabia. Method: A retrospective observational study was conducted for 3 months from February to April 2019, the data of a total (586) medication error report forms are collected and analyzed. Main outcome: we have studied the most errors that occur, their main cause, and the person who discovered them. Result: In total 269,179 prescriptions 586 was erroneous, maximum MEs occurred in patients with (16-45) age, improper dose (25.1%) was the frequently observed type of error, majority of MEs were related to antibiotics (21.7%), and anticoagulants (10.1%). The most common cause of MEs is drug information missing, 48.7% of errors are category B according to (NCC MERP) ME index. Pharmacist reports the majority of the MEs and physicians committed most of them. Most MEs occurred in the morning time (71.6%) in the inpatient (66.34%) followed by the outpatient department (26.11%). In MEs 48% of medications administered orally and 41.6% parentally. Conclusion: The rate of MEs in KKH indicate underreporting, the educational programs, sessions, and lectures on the benefits of reporting MEs, a non-punitive culture establishment and remuneration may improve MEs reporting.

Keywords

• assessment
• medication-errors
• patients
• prescription errors