Background: Medication errors may account up to one-third of all medical errors in hospitals, thereby leading to adverse outcomes such as higher mortality rate and longer hospital stay.
Objectives: The primary objective of the study was to determine whether patient safety can be improved by clinical pharmacy services. The study also aimed to reveal whether medication errors can be prevented by any means.
Methods: A prospective, observational study was conducted in a multispecialty hospital in India. Prescription audit was performed for patients followed by necessary intervention by the concerned physician. Chi-squared test, paired t-test and ANOVA were performed to test statistical significance.
Results: A total of 699 errors were encountered by 501 of 1149 patients enrolled. Prescription errors accounted for the majority (87.1%) of errors followed by administration (7.4%), transcription (4.3%) and dispensing (1.2%) errors. Average error per patient showed a significant gradual decline from baseline (2.08) to the final follow-up (1.06). ICU patients encountered a higher rate (52.8%) of errors than general ward group (42.8%), while geriatric population witnessed a low error rate (18.8%) compared to adults (72%).
Conclusions: The study was not only successful in highlighting the impact of medication error assessment on patient safety, but it also demonstrated that medication errors can be lowered with the help of clinical pharmacy services. Findings from the study conclude that medication errors can be prevented if healthcare professionals are educated appropriately to avoid recurrence of past mistakes.
Keywords: Clinical pharmacy service; inappropriate prescriptions; medication errors; medication therapy management; patient safety; prescription monitoring.