In-patient Dispensing System Development for Reduction of Medication Error at a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: The appropriate methods can decrease medication error.

Objectives: To measure the impact of the in-patient dispensing system on medication errors after the development of in-patient dispensing system

Method: A prospective cohort study was conducted to assess the effects of implementing an in-patient dispensing system tailored to the hospital's needs, aimed at reducing medication errors. The implementation began in October 2022. The incidence of medication errors in the fiscal year 2023 (October 2022 - September 2023) was compared with that in 2022 (October 2021 - September 2022) and analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: There was no significant difference in workload between the fiscal years 2023 and 2022. The average number of prescriptions per month, the average number of drug items per month, and the average number of prescriptions during after-office hours showed no significant differences. However, the number of home medication prescriptions during office and after-office hours per month, as well as the number of prescriptions verified by pharmacists per month, significantly increased, while the number of prescriptions during after-office hours per month significantly decreased (p-value < 0.05). Following the implementation of the in-patient dispensing system, prescribing and dispensing error rates decreased.

Conclusion: The implemented methods effectively reduced medication errors.