Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Sep 4;10(9):e0136545.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136545. eCollection 2015.

Medication Errors in the Southeast Asian Countries: A Systematic Review

Shahrzad Salmasi  1 , Tahir Mehmood Khan  1 , Yet Hoi Hong  2 , Long Chiau Ming  3 , Tin Wui Wong  4
Affiliations

Medication Errors in the Southeast Asian Countries: A Systematic Review

Shahrzad Salmasi et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Medication error (ME) is a worldwide issue, but most studies on ME have been undertaken in developed countries and very little is known about ME in Southeast Asian countries. This study aimed systematically to identify and review research done on ME in Southeast Asian countries in order to identify common types of ME and estimate its prevalence in this region.

Methods: The literature relating to MEs in Southeast Asian countries was systematically reviewed in December 2014 by using; Embase, Medline, Pubmed, ProQuest Central and the CINAHL. Inclusion criteria were studies (in any languages) that investigated the incidence and the contributing factors of ME in patients of all ages.

Results: The 17 included studies reported data from six of the eleven Southeast Asian countries: five studies in Singapore, four in Malaysia, three in Thailand, three in Vietnam, one in the Philippines and one in Indonesia. There was no data on MEs in Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Timor. Of the seventeen included studies, eleven measured administration errors, four focused on prescribing errors, three were done on preparation errors, three on dispensing errors and two on transcribing errors. There was only one study of reconciliation error. Three studies were interventional.

Discussion: The most frequently reported types of administration error were incorrect time, omission error and incorrect dose. Staff shortages, and hence heavy workload for nurses, doctor/nurse distraction, and misinterpretation of the prescription/medication chart, were identified as contributing factors of ME. There is a serious lack of studies on this topic in this region which needs to be addressed if the issue of ME is to be fully understood and addressed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. PRISMA diagram demonstrating the search strategy and its results.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Number of studies done in each country on ME in Southeast Asia.
Fig 3
Fig 3. Quality classification of the included studies.
Fig 4
Fig 4. Study classification according to error types.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. United Nations Statistic Division. Composition of macro geographical (continental) regions, geographical sub-regions, and selected economic and other groupings. Available: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/methods/m49/m49regin.htm#asia. Accessed 13 March 2015.
    1. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. World Population Prospects: The 2012 Revision. Available: http://esa.un.org/wpp/Excel-Data/population.htm. Accessed 13 March 2015.
    1. Hashim J, Chongsuvivatwong V, Phua KH, Pocock N, Teng YM, Chhem RK, et al. Health and healthcare systems in Southeast Asia. 04 May 2012. Available: http://unu.edu/publications/articles/health-and-healthcare-systems-in-so.... Accessed 28 June 2015.
    1. World Health Organization. Health workers: a global profile. In The world health report 2006- working together for health; 2006. Available: www.who.int/whr/2006/06_chap1_en.pdf. Accessed 19 June 2015.
    1. Chongsuvivatwong V, Phua KH, Yap MT, Pocock NS, Hashim JH, Chhem R, et al. Health and health-care systems in Southeast Asia: diversity and transitions. Lancet. 2011; 377:429–437. 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61507-3 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances