Incidence of Medication Error in Critical Care Unit of a Tertiary Care Hospital: Where Do We Stand?

Abstract

A bstract Background Medication error in developed countries is of primary concern when there is a question of adversity to a patient's health, but in developing countries like India, it is just a term and its significance is undervalued. The incidence of medication error is essential to estimate the proper medical care provided in the healthcare system. Objective The main objective of the study is to determine the incidences of medication error in critical care unit and to evaluate its risk outcomes. Materials and methods This is a prospective observational study conducted over a period of 6 months in a critical care unit of a tertiary care hospital. Medication chart review method was opted for data collection. The medication errors were mainly classified as prescription, transcription, indenting, dispensing, and administration error. A total of 6,705 charts were reviewed. The NCCMERP risk index was used to evaluate the outcome of errors. Results Of the total 6,705 charts, 410 medication errors were found, i.e., 6.11%. The most common error is transcription error that constitutes 44.1% of the total errors, followed by prescription error 40%, and administration error 14%. The frequency of indenting and dispensing errors is negligible with 1.5% and 0.5%, respectively. The main causes of medication errors are due to incomplete prescription 50.2% and wrong doses 22.9%. In drug class, antibiotics and antihypertensive agents are most prone to medication error. About 87.1% errors belonged to the Category B of National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention risk index. Conclusion Majority of the errors are transcription errors followed by prescription and administration errors. Consultant doctors have to be more vigilant during prescribing and verifying the medication charts. Clinical pharmacists should act as a checkpoint at each step of medication process to identify and prevent medication errors. How to cite this article Zirpe KG, Seta B, Gholap S, Aurangabadi K, Gurav SK, Deshmukh AM, et al. Incidence of Medication Error in Critical Care Unit of a Tertiary Care Hospital: Where Do We Stand? Indian J Crit Care Med 2020;24(9):799–803.

Evaluation of Medication Errors in a Tertiary Care Hospital of a Low- to Middle-Income Country

“…This was very similar to other studies [ 5 , 10 ]. The most common type of MEs encountered in our study was a prescription error which was also seen in other studies [ 6 , 17 ]. Of the prescribing errors, illegible and incomplete prescriptions were seen in the majority of the cases.…”

“…Its importance exists in the healthcare system globally. MEs are known to occur in any health care setting and are well documented in the published literature [ 4 - 6 ]. It is estimated that 7000 to 9000 people die of MEs annually in the United States alone [ 6 ].…”

“…MEs are known to occur in any health care setting and are well documented in the published literature [ 4 - 6 ]. It is estimated that 7000 to 9000 people die of MEs annually in the United States alone [ 6 ]. Worldwide, billions of dollars are being spent managing MEs in all types of health care settings.…”

Medication Errors and Pharmacist Intervention at Government Hospital of Hyderabad, Pakistan

“…Medication errors are capable for compromising the patient safety and developing serious complication that further needs management. MEs are also capable to worsen the patient overall health and complications results in increased morbidity, hospital stay, mortality and economic burden on pati health care system [11,12].…”

Pharmaceutical Consultation in Hospitals at Northern Border Region, Saudi Arabia

“…In recent years, pharmacists' primary focus as traditional drug dispensers has shifted to a more active and participatory position in risk assessment, risk management, and other medication-related consultation activities [2][3][4][5][6].…”