Improve the Process of Patient’S Own Medications Dispensed from Inpatient Pharmacy

Abstract

Background: During hospitalization, some admitted patients might need to continue on their non-formulary medications as per physician order. Yet, there is a potential for medication dispensing and administration errors. Therefore, this study aimed to improve the efficiency of handling and administering patients’ own medications (POM) and reduce the variations in practice by standardizing the workflow and documentation. Materials and Methods: This is a quality improvement study. A new standardized checklist for the POM was designed to apply to pediatric and adult hospitalized patients and then shared with nursing units to be completed upon receiving POM. The study period is 7 months (August 2021 to February 2022). Results: The initial target was to cover (60%) of the hospital’s nursing units by the end of December 2021. Consequently, by December 2021, the target was exceeded successfully by implementing the checklist in (82.6%) of nursing units. By February 2022, the checklist was implemented successfully in all 23 inpatient hospital wards (100%) with nearly 500 patients. Conclusion: The new checklist’s implementation ensures that patients receive their medications through a unified dispensing system in nursing units, and it complies with the Joint Commission International and Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions accreditation standards. Over time, this will help reduce medication errors and increase patient safety.