Clinical pharmacist’s role in identification and management of medication errors in different wards of a hospital in Karachi

Anum Sattar; Hina Rehman; Safila Naveed

doi:10.32593/jstmu/Vol7.Iss1.278

Anum Sattar Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ziauddin University, Karachi, Pakistan
Hina Rehman Department of Pharmacy Practice, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan
Safila Naveed Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Karachi University, Karachi, Pakistan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32593/jstmu/Vol7.Iss1.278

Keywords: Medication error, category of a medication error, clinical pharmacists, intervention

Abstract

Introduction: Medication errors are a frequent issue within healthcare facilities. The ratio of patients who suffer harm due to these errors, in contrast to those who do not, is a concerning 100:1. The research aimed to ascertain the prevalence and categories of medication errors, as well as the function of pharmacists in identifying and addressing these errors across different wards of a private tertiary care facility located in Karachi, Pakistan.

Methodology: A cross-sectional case study, conducted in a private hospital in Karachi and including 200 patients, was assumed to explore drug therapy errors and evaluate the pharmacist's contribution to their detection.

Results: Through the meticulous efforts of clinical pharmacists, an extensive assessment encompassing 200 patients was conducted with a gender distribution of 110 females (55%) and 90 males (45%). Within this cohort, a cumulative total of 250 errors (averaging 1.25 per patient) were detected and appropriately addressed. The observed frequencies of error categories were as follows: above therapeutic dose (2.8%), sub-therapeutic dose (3.2%), dose adjustment (30%), drug-drug/drug-food interaction (3.6%), duplication of drug class (4.0%), dose Rounded off (3.6%), intravenous to per oral switch (3.2%), incomplete drug order (4.8%), transcribing error (4.8%), wrong medication (22%), wrong frequency (8%), wrong route (3.6%), wrong dilution/incompatibility (3.6%), wrong infusion rate (1.6%), and miscellaneous (1.2%).

Conclusion This research highlighted the pervasive problem of medication errors and highlighted the critical role clinical pharmacists played in identifying and correcting errors to improve patient safety and streamline healthcare procedures.

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Author Biographies

Anum Sattar, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ziauddin University, Karachi, Pakistan

Lecturer

Hina Rehman, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Jinnah Sindh Medical University, Karachi, Pakistan

Assistnat Professor

Safila Naveed, Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, Karachi University, Karachi, Pakistan

Professor

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