Identifying the Risk Factors of Medication Errors in a Tertiary Hospital in Iran

Abstract

Objective: The services of pharmacists in the hospital go beyond the distribution of medicine, and today, it means the role of pharmacists in the optimal use of medicines by patients and improving their health outcomes. The purpose of this research is to monitor pharmaceutical services in the inpatient departments of Imam Hossein Hospital using a standardized authoring tool.

Methods: In this research, two questionnaires were compiled and validated, and different departments of Imam Hossein Hospital in Tehran, which is the largest tertiary hospital in Iran, were monitored in terms of pharmaceutical services. Correct answers below 50% were classified as "Inappropriate," between 50% and 70% as "Relatively Appropriate" and above 70% as "Appropriate."

Findings: The findings indicate that the highest risk points included absence of drug combination at the beginning of the patient's hospitalization in all departments, absence of drug calculation tables in 90%, absence of control protocol for the abuse of narcotic drugs and their prescription in 90%, absence of quick preparation guide and how to use injectable medicines in 80%, absence of stock list in 75%, and the absence of a control protocol for controlled medicines in 60% of inpatient departments.

Conclusion: The study conducted is the first comprehensive study of monitoring pharmaceutical services in hospital wards. The unique features of this study, such as the breadth, comprehensiveness and selection of the largest medical, educational and therapeutic center, and the largest tertiary hospital in Iran, can be generalized to all hospitals and benefit from it.

Keywords: Hospital pharmacy; inpatient departments; pharmaceutical services; tertiary hospital.