Medication Errors Reported by the Computer Program Developed in a Large Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To describe medication errors identified after the implementation of computer technology in the reporting and processing of data in a large hospital. Methods: The researcher together with a computer technology officer designed and developed the computer program with the Microsoft Access 2003. Management of medication error data was divided into 2 parts: first, the entry of medication error data by relevant parties into the intranet system of the hospital and second, the transfer of recorded data and information processing by the developed program. Results: During one year of study, the total number of reported medication errors was 2,652. There were 1,154 prescribing errors (1.09 per 1,000 prescriptions), 334 transcribing errors (0.32 per 1,000 prescriptions, 142 and 192 errors identified as errors by pharmacists and nurses respectively), 397 dispensing errors (0.38 per 1,000 prescriptions), and 767 administration errors (0.73 per 1,000 prescriptions. The severity of identified medication errors was classified as level A in 546 events (0.52 per 1,000 prescriptions), level B in 1,785 events (1.69 per 1,000 prescriptions), level C in 256 events (0.24 per 1,000 prescriptions), level D in 56 events (0.052 per 1,000 prescriptions) and level E in 10 events (0.009 per 1,000 prescriptions). The developed program could also summarize the number of medication errors classified by time and departments. Conclusion: The developed program is a tool for collecting and processing medication errors to give an input for further analysis to solve the problems. The program has been used in place of the old manual system and is considered innovation for quality improvement of pharmacy services.