The document discusses medication errors, defining them as preventable events that can lead to inappropriate use or patient harm. It details the types of errors that may occur in prescribing, dispensing, administration, transcription, and indenting, along with factors contributing to these errors and processes to prevent them. A variety of solutions such as improved communication, education, and the use of electronic prescribing are suggested to mitigate these risks.

1. Welcome
MEDICATION ERRORS
Yamini Sai Seerisha Jale
M.Pharmacy
194/092023
30/09/2023
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2. Index
• Definition
• Types of medication errors
• Factors contributing medication error
• Process to prevent medication error
• References
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3. Medication errors
Definition:
National Coordinating Council for Medication Errors Reporting and
Prevention (NCCMERP) defines medication errors is any preventable event
that may lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the
medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient or
consumer.
Medication error can occur at anywhere like prescribing, indenting,
dispensing, repackaging, administration and documentation.
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4. Medication errors
How do medication error occurs
Errors can occur at any step along the way, from prescribing to the ultimate provision
of the drug to the patient.
 Prescribing errors:
• A widely recognised cause of error is illegible handwritten prescriptions.
• Incorrect drug selection for a patient.
• Illegible hand writing
• prescribing contraindicated drug
• Errors in prescribing can occur when an incorrect drug or dose is selected, or when a
regimen is too complex
•When prescriptions are transmitted orally, sound-alike names may cause error.
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5. Medication errors
 Dispensing error:
Dispensing error occur at any stage of the dispensing process, from the receipt
of the prescription to the supply of a dispensed medicine to a patient.
oDispensing an incorrect medicine
oIncorrect dosage strength
oMiscalculating a dose
oFailing to identify contraindications
Example: Dispensed
Chlorpramazine instead of
Chlorpromide.
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6. Medication errors
 Drug administration error:
Errors caused by drug administration can be made by the
health care provider or by the patient themselves. Most of the errors occur
when the communication is unclear regarding the drug name, drug
appearance, how much and how often to take the drug.
oIt involves wrong patient, wrong rout of administration, wrong time, wrong
dose
o Example: Administerred Diclofenac in IV Route instead of IM
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7. Medication errors
 Transcription error:
Transcription is the process of making an identical copy of prescription in
the medical records, Errors that occur during this process called Transcription error.
 Indenting error:
Errors that occur during the process of indenting.
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8. Medication errors
Factors that contribute to medication errors
o Excessive task demand
o Lack of communication
o Lack of patient counseling
o Use of unlisted abbreviations
o Incomplete knowledge of medicines
o Lack of drug availability
o Environmental factors
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9. Medication errors
Process to prevent medication errors
1. Patient communication
2. Intra professional communication
3. Education and training
4. Electronic prescribing
5. Avoid use of unknown symbols and abbreviations
6. Ensuring safe dispensing procedure
7. Rechecking the prescription while indenting, transcribing and
administering the medications
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10. References:
• https://www.amcp.org/about/managed-care-
pharmacy-101/concepts-managed-care-
pharmacy/medication-errors
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK519065/
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11. Thank You!
www.clinosol.com
(India | Canada)
9121151622/623/624
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