Affiliation:
1. Pharmacy Department, King's College London, London, UK
2. University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, Cardiff, Wales, UK
3. St Mary's Pharmaceutical Unit, Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust, Cardiff, Wales, UK
Abstract
Abstract
Objectives
To identify, review and evaluate the published literature on the incidence, type and causes of dispensing errors in community and hospital pharmacy.
Method
Electronic databases were searched from 1966 to February 2008. This was supplemented by hand-searching the bibliographies of retrieved articles. Analysis of the findings explored the research methods, operational definitions, incidence, type and causes of dispensing errors.
Key findings
Sixty papers were identified investigating dispensing errors in the UK, US, Australia, Spain and Brazil. In general, the incidence of dispensing errors varied depending on the study setting, dispensing system, research method and operational definitions. The most common dispensing errors identified by community and hospital pharmacies were dispensing the wrong drug, strength, form or quantity, or labelling medication with the incorrect directions. Factors subjectively reported as contributing to dispensing errors were look-alike, sound-alike drugs, low staffing and computer software. High workload, interruptions, distractions and inadequate lighting were objectively shown to increase the occurrence of dispensing errors.
Conclusions
Comparison of the reviewed studies was confounded by differences in study setting, research method and operational definitions for dispensing errors, error rate and classification of error types. The World Health Organization is currently developing global patient safety taxonomy. Such a standardized taxonomy for dispensing errors would facilitate consistent data collection and assist the development of error-reduction strategies.
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Subject
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health,Health Policy,Pharmaceutical Science,Pharmacy
Reference80 articles.
1. Design for Patient Safety;NPSA,2007
2. The use of the critical incident technique to investigate prevented dispensing incidents developed by key informant interviews, focus group and observation;James;Int J Pharm Pract,2007
3. A multicentre study of dispensing errors in British hospitals;Spencer;Int J Pharm Pract,1993
4. Pharmacy in the Future,2000
5. A spoonful of Sugar,2001
Cited by
135 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献