A systematic review of the nature of dispensing errors in hospital pharmacies

Abstract

BackgroundDispensing errors are common in hospital pharmacies. Investigating dispensing errors is important for identifying the factors involved and developing strategies to reduce their occurrence.ObjectivesTo review published studies exploring the incidence and types of dispensing errors in hospital pharmacies and factors contributing to these errors.MethodsElectronic databases including PubMed, Scopus, Ovid, and Web of Science were searched for articles published between January 2000 and January 2015. Inclusion criteria were: studies published in English, and studies investigating type, incidence and factors contributing to dispensing errors in hospital pharmacies. One researcher searched for all relevant published articles, screened all titles and abstracts, and obtained complete articles. A second researcher assessed the titles, abstracts, and complete articles to verify the reliability of the selected articles.Key findingsFifteen studies met the inclusion criteria all of which were conducted in just four countries. Reviewing incident reports and direct observation were the main methods used to investigate dispensing errors. Dispensing error rates varied between countries (0.015%–33.5%) depending on the dispensing system, research method, and classification of dispensing error types. The most frequent dispensing errors reported were dispensing the wrong medicine, dispensing the wrong drug strength, and dispensing the wrong dosage form. The most common factors associated with dispensing errors were: high workload, low staffing, mix-up of look-alike/ sound-alike drugs, lack of knowledge/experience, distractions/interruptions, and communication problems within the dispensary team.ConclusionStudies relating to dispensing errors in hospital pharmacies are few in number and have been conducted in just four countries. The majority of these studies focused on the investigation of dispensing error types with no mention of contributing factors or strategies for reducing dispensing errors. Others studies are thus needed to investigate dispensing errors in hospital pharmacies, and a combined approach is recommended to investigate contributing factors associated with dispensing errors and explore strategies for reducing these errors.

A systematic review examining the effectiveness of medicines information services for patients and the general public

“…Approximately 40% of patients who have been discharged from hospital may subsequently experience medicines-related problems, including medicines-related errors. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13] Findings indicate that patients often lack knowledge about their medications following hospital discharge [14][15][16][17][18] and that many patients report not receiving important medicines-related information. [19][20][21] World Health Organisation policy states that offering information on medicines via Medicines Information Centres, and providing public education about medicines, are two of 12 essential interventions to promote the rational use of medicines.…”

Nature of dispensing errors in selected hospitals providing free healthcare: A multi-center study in Sri Lanka

“…However, it was di cult to assess if all these studies had used the same explicit de nitions as we did to justify comparison. A review on dispensing errors also revealed that dispensing error rates varied between countries (0.015-33.5%) depending on the dispensing system, research method, and classi cation of dispensing error types (29). Our study looked at the full range of errors that could take place in the dispensing process.…”

Review : Medication Erorr Pada Tahap Prescribing, Transcribing, Dispensing, dan Administration

“…Jenis kasus dispensing error yang terjadi pada layanan farmasi adalah salah obat, salah kekuatan obat, dan salah kuantitas. Hal ini selaras dengan beberapa penelitian lain antara lain Aldhwaihi et al (2016), dan James et al (2007). Salah obat adalah jenis error paling umum dari dispensing error pada pelayanan farmasi, sementara error lain adalah kekeliruan kekuatan obat (wrong medicine), dosis (wrong drug strength), dan jumlah obat (wrong quantity) (Aldhwaihi et al, 2016dan James dkk, 2007 selaras dengan temuan penelitian tersebut (Pitoya Z.…”

“…Hal ini selaras dengan hasil penelitian Aldhwaihi et al (2016) yang menyimpulkan bahwa faktorfaktor yang berkaitan dengan dispensing errors adalah beban pekerjaan tinggi, jumlah staf yang kurang, obat LASA, kemasan yang mirip, sistem penyimpanan obat LASA dan gangguan lingkungan antara lain distraksi, interupsi.…”