Development of medication error monitoring system in subdistrict health promotion hospital, Buntharik District

Abstract

Medication errors represent a significant problem in Sub-district Health Promoting Hospitals (SHPHs), particularly among the increasing number of chronic disease patients, compounded by pharmacist shortages and ineffective surveillance systems. This study aimed to evaluate a newly developed medication error surveillance system in Sub-district Health Promoting Hospitals (SHPHs) within the Buntharik District. The evaluation compared medication error rates and user satisfaction before and after thesystem development. A research and development study was conducted in 16 SHPHs with 32 staff members as the sample group. System development comprised three main components: information systems, personnel development, and process improvement. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and dependent t-test. Results showed that after system development, the overall medication error rate significantly decreased from 22.55 to 20.50 per 1,000 prescriptions (9.09% reduction, p=0.028). The proportion of high-severity errors (Category E) relative to all errors decreased significantly from 4.92% to 0.90% (an 81.71% reduction, p=0.018). Similarly, the proportion of dispensing errors fell from 33.61% to 28.83% (p=0.036). Staff demonstrated high satisfaction with the system (Mean=4.43, SD=0.61). The integrated medication error surveillance system development effectively reduced both the rate and severity of medication errors in SHPHs.