DISPENSING ERRORS OBSERVED BY COMMUNITY PHARMACY DISPENSERS IN IBB - YEMEN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22159/ajpcr.2018.v11i11.28382Keywords:
Dispensing errors, Community pharmacy, YemenAbstract
Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the dispensing errors, its types, and causes in community pharmacies in Ibb, Yemen.
Methods: A prospective study was conducted among community pharmacies in the Ibb, Yemen, over 4 months' period. Dispensing errors that were detected during the dispensing process were recorded by the pharmacy dispensers using a data collection form. Detecting and reporting of dispensing errors, types, and causes of dispensing errors were explained to the participated pharmacists before starting the study. The data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences® (IBM SPSS) version 21 for Windows.
Results: A total of 35 (0.80%) dispensing errors were reported in this study. Wrong dosage form was the most common dispensing error type reported in this study followed by wrong quantity, wrong strength, and wrong drug. Factors most commonly reported as contributing to dispensing errors in this study were prescriptions poor handwriting, similar medications packaging, more than one patient at the same time, and similar drug names.
Conclusion: This study explored the type and causes of dispensing errors at five community pharmacies in the Ibb city, Yemen. Dispensing errors can be prevented by educational interventions about dispensing error's and its potential causes. Effective collaboration and communication between community pharmacy dispensers and prescribers are an important key to minimize and prevent dispensing errors.
Downloads
References
US Food and Drug Administration. Medication Errors. Available from: http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/medicationerrors. [Last accessed on 2015 Dec 12].
van den Bemt PM, Egberts AC. Drug related problems: Definitions and classification. Eur J Hosp Pharm Pract 2007;13:62-4.
Flynn EA, Barker KN, Carnahan BJ. National observational study of prescription dispensing accuracy and safety in 50 pharmacies. J Am Pharm Assoc (Wash) 2003;43:191-200.
Hoxsie DM, Keller AE, Armstrong EP. Analysis of community pharmacy workflow processes in preventing dispensing errors. J Pharm Pract 2006;19:124-30.
Flynn EA, Barker KN. Effect of an automated dispensing system on errors in two pharmacies. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003) 2006;46:613-5.
Oswald S, Caldwell R. Dispensing error rate after implementation of an automated pharmacy carousel system. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2007;64:1427-31.
Chua SS, Wong IC, Edmondson H, Allen C, Chow J, Peacham J, et al. A feasibility study for recording of dispensing errors and near misses’ in four UK primary care pharmacies. Drug Saf 2003;26:803-13.
Ashcroft DM, Quinlan P, Blenkinsopp A. Prospective study of the incidence, nature and causes of dispensing errors in community pharmacies. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2005;14:327-32.
Franklin BD, O’Grady K. Dispensing errors in community pharmacy: Frequency, clinical significance and potential impact of authentication at the point of dispensing. Int J Pharm Pract 2007;15:273-81.
Allan EL, Barker KN, Malloy MJ, Heller WM. Dispensing errors and counseling in community practice. Am Pharm 1995;NS35:25-33.
Flynn EA, Dorris NT, Holman, GT Camahan BJ, Barker KN. Medication dispensing errors in community pharmacies: A nationwide study. Proc Hum Factor Ergon Soc 2002;46:48-51.
James KL, Barlow D, McArtney R, Hiom S, Roberts D, Whittlesea C, et al. Incidence, type and causes of dispensing errors: A review of the literature. Int J Pharm Pract 2009;17:9-30.
Szeinbach S, Seoane-Vazquez E, Parekh A, Herderick M. Dispensing errors in community pharmacy: Perceived influence of sociotechnical factors. Int J Qual Health Care 2007;19:203-9.
Varadarajan R, Barker KN, Flynn EA, Thomas RE. Comparison of two error-detection methods in a mail service pharmacy serving health facilities. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003) 2008;48:371-8.
Peterson GM, Wu MS, Bergin JK. Pharmacist’s attitudes towards dispensing errors: Their causes and prevention. J Clin Pharm Ther 1999;24:57-71.
Knudsen P, Herborg H, Mortensen AR, Knudsen M, Hellebek A. Preventing medication errors in community pharmacy: Frequency and seriousness of medication errors. Qual Saf Health Care 2007;16:291-6.
Bond CA, Raehl CL. Pharmacists’ assessment of dispensing errors: Risk factors, practice sites, professional functions, and satisfaction. Pharmacotherapy 2001;21:614-26.
Al-Worafi YM. Pharmacy practice and its challenges in Yemen. Australas Med J 2014;7:17-23.
Al-Worafi YM. Appropriateness of metered-dose inhaler use in Yemeni community pharmacies. J Taibah Univ Med Sci 2015;10:353-8.
Al-Worafi YM. Pharmacy education in Yemen. Am J Pharm Educ 2013;77:65.
Al-Worafi YM. The challenges of pharmacy education in Yemen. Am J Pharm Educ 2014;78:146.
Mohammed Al-Worafi Y, Patel RP, Zaidi ST, Mohammed Alseragi W, Saeed Almutairi M, Saleh Alkhoshaiban A, et al. Completeness and legibility of handwritten prescriptions in Sana’a, Yemen. Med Princ Pract 2018;27:290-2.
Al-Worafi YM. Prescription writing errors at a tertiary care hospital in Yemen: Prevalence, types, causes and recommendations. Am J Pharm Health Res 2014;2:133-40.
Al-Worafi YM, Kassab YW, Alseragi WM, Almutairi MS, Ahmed A, Ming LC, et al. Pharmacovigilance and adverse drug reaction reporting: A perspective of community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians in Sana’a, Yemen. Ther Clin Risk Manag 2017;13:1175-81.
Nair RP, Kappil D, Woods TM. 10 Strategies for Minimizing Dispensing Errors. Pharmacy Times. 2010. Available from: http:// www.pharmacytimes.com/publications/issue/2010/january2010/ p2pdispensingerrors-0110.
Jaykare SC. Medıcatıon errors, what healthcare provıders thınk? A knowledge, attıtude and practıce survey. Asian J Pharm Clin Res 2013;6:57-9.
Sinha G, Acharya LD, Thunga G, Mathews T. A study of medication errors in general medicine wards of the South Indian tertiary care hospital. Asian J Pharm Clin Res 2016;9:196-200.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
The publication is licensed under CC By and is open access. Copyright is with author and allowed to retain publishing rights without restrictions.
