The Relationship between Occurrence Timing of Dispensing Errors and Subsequent Danger to Patients under the Situation According to the Classification of Drugs by Efficacy.

In this study, dispensing errors and incidents in three categories (drug name errors, drug strength errors, drug count errors) were classified into two groups in terms of its drug efficacy (efficacy similarity (-) group, efficacy similarity (+) group), into three classes in terms of the occurrence timing of dispensing errors (initial phase errors, middle phase errors, final phase errors). Then, the rates of damage shifting from "dispensing errors" to "damage to patients" were compared as an index of danger between two groups and among three classes. Consequently, the rate of damage in "efficacy similarity (-) group" was significantly higher than that in "efficacy similarity (+) group". Furthermore, the rate of damage is the highest in "initial phase errors", the lowest in "final phase errors" among three classes. From the results of this study, it became clear that the earlier the timing of dispensing errors occurs, the more severe the damage to patients becomes.
PMID: 27803489 [PubMed - in process]

Source: Yakugaku Zasshi : Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan - November 4, 2016 Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Authors: Tsuji T, Nagata K, Kawashiri T, Yamada T, Irisa T, Murakami Y, Kanaya A, Egashira N, Masuda S Tags: Yakugaku Zasshi Source Type: research