Identifying dispensing errors in pharmacies in a medical science school in Trinidad and Tobago
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(2020) 13:67
RESEARCH
Open Access
Identifying dispensing errors in pharmacies in a medical science school in Trinidad and Tobago Sandeep Maharaj1, Adrian Brahim1, Horry Brown1, Danielle Budraj1, Vatalie Caesar1, Anyse Calder1, Deisha Carr1, Dion Castillo1, Kevin Cedeno1 and Manthan D. Janodia2*
Abstract Background: A dispensing error can be defined as an inconsistency between the drug prescribed and drug dispensed to a patient. These errors can lead to ineffective and sometimes unwanted pharmaceutical outcomes. Dispensing errors can be harmful or even fatal to patients. Case presentation: The objective to this study was (a) to determine the types and frequency of dispensing errors at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), (b) to explore the reasons for the occurrence of dispensing errors, and (c) to make suitable recommendations for their prevention. An observational study for a period of 2 weeks was carried out at various in- and outpatient departments of the EWMSC. The observations were carried out during 7:00 am to 3:00 pm. Dispensing errors identified during this period were recorded and analyzed. Results: Sixty-eight errors were identified in the adult outpatient pharmacy of the EWMSC; 19 errors in the pediatric outpatient pharmacy, whereas 22 errors were found in inpatient pharmacy. The most common plausible causes for the dispensing errors include high workload, failure to verify patient information, incorrect data in the pharmacy’s record system, inadequate notes made by pharmacists during prior patient visit, and in a few cases, uncomfortable working conditions. Conclusion: Dispensing errors were encountered in 2.1% of all the prescriptions filled at the EWMSC pharmacies. The factors which influenced these dispensing errors include but are not limited to a heavy workload, distractions, failure to verify patient information, and uncomfortable working conditions. Keywords: Dispensing errors, Pharmacy, Medical school, Trinidad and Tobago
* Correspondence: [email protected]; [email protected] Handling Editor: Raveena Nagaria, University of Huddersfield, UK 2 Department of Pharmacy Management, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka 576104, India Full list of author information is available at the end of the article © The Author(s). 2020 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, y
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