Dispensing errors in Lebanese community pharmacies: incidence, types, underlying causes, and associated factors
Objectives: To assess the incidence, types, the causes of as well as the factors associated with dispensing errors in community pharmacies in Lebanon. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in 286 pharmacies located all over Lebanon. Data were collected by senior pharmacy s...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Centro de Investigaciones y Publicaciones Farmaceuticas
2021-03-01
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| Series: | Pharmacy Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://www.pharmacypractice.org/journal/index.php/pp/article/view/2170 |
| _version_ | 1818918571588190208 |
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| author | Lama Soubra Samar Karout |
| author_facet | Lama Soubra Samar Karout |
| author_sort | Lama Soubra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives: To assess the incidence, types, the causes of as well as the factors associated with dispensing errors in community pharmacies in Lebanon.
Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in 286 pharmacies located all over Lebanon. Data were collected by senior pharmacy students during their experiential learning placement. Collected data included information on the types of dispensing errors, the underlying causes of errors, handling approaches, and used strategies for dispensing error prevention. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression to determine factors that were associated with dispensing errors.
Results: In the twelve thousand eight hundred sixty dispensed medications, there were 376 dispensing errors, yielding an error rate of 2.92%. Of these errors, 67.1% (252) corresponded to dispensing near-miss errors. The most common types of dispensing errors were giving incomplete/incorrect use instructions (40.9% (154)), followed by the omission of warning(s) (23.6% (89)). Work overloads/time pressures, illegible handwriting, distractions/interruptions, and similar drug naming/packaging were reported as the underlying causes in 55% (206), 23.13% (87), 15.15 % (57), and 7% (26) of the errors respectively. Besides, high prescription turnover volume, having one pharmacist working at a time, and extended working hours, were found to be independent factors that were significantly associated with dispensing errors occurrence (p<0.05).
Conclusions: This study sheds light on the need to establish national strategies for preventing dispensing errors in community pharmacies to maintain drug therapy safety, considering identified underlying causes and associated factors. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T00:52:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ec200878c63b4d3b8c4286212d8c6b9d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1885-642X 1886-3655 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T00:52:05Z |
| publishDate | 2021-03-01 |
| publisher | Centro de Investigaciones y Publicaciones Farmaceuticas |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmacy Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-ec200878c63b4d3b8c4286212d8c6b9d2022-12-21T19:59:14ZengCentro de Investigaciones y Publicaciones FarmaceuticasPharmacy Practice1885-642X1886-36552021-03-01191217010.18549/PharmPract.2021.1.2170Dispensing errors in Lebanese community pharmacies: incidence, types, underlying causes, and associated factorsLama Soubra https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1129-4513Samar Karout https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4750-6434Objectives: To assess the incidence, types, the causes of as well as the factors associated with dispensing errors in community pharmacies in Lebanon. Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted in 286 pharmacies located all over Lebanon. Data were collected by senior pharmacy students during their experiential learning placement. Collected data included information on the types of dispensing errors, the underlying causes of errors, handling approaches, and used strategies for dispensing error prevention. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression to determine factors that were associated with dispensing errors. Results: In the twelve thousand eight hundred sixty dispensed medications, there were 376 dispensing errors, yielding an error rate of 2.92%. Of these errors, 67.1% (252) corresponded to dispensing near-miss errors. The most common types of dispensing errors were giving incomplete/incorrect use instructions (40.9% (154)), followed by the omission of warning(s) (23.6% (89)). Work overloads/time pressures, illegible handwriting, distractions/interruptions, and similar drug naming/packaging were reported as the underlying causes in 55% (206), 23.13% (87), 15.15 % (57), and 7% (26) of the errors respectively. Besides, high prescription turnover volume, having one pharmacist working at a time, and extended working hours, were found to be independent factors that were significantly associated with dispensing errors occurrence (p<0.05). Conclusions: This study sheds light on the need to establish national strategies for preventing dispensing errors in community pharmacies to maintain drug therapy safety, considering identified underlying causes and associated factors.https://www.pharmacypractice.org/journal/index.php/pp/article/view/2170medication errorsdrug prescriptionspharmaciespharmacistsprofessional practicequality assurance health caremultivariate analysiscross-sectional studieslebanon |
| spellingShingle | Lama Soubra Samar Karout Dispensing errors in Lebanese community pharmacies: incidence, types, underlying causes, and associated factors Pharmacy Practice medication errors drug prescriptions pharmacies pharmacists professional practice quality assurance health care multivariate analysis cross-sectional studies lebanon |
| title | Dispensing errors in Lebanese community pharmacies: incidence, types, underlying causes, and associated factors |
| title_full | Dispensing errors in Lebanese community pharmacies: incidence, types, underlying causes, and associated factors |
| title_fullStr | Dispensing errors in Lebanese community pharmacies: incidence, types, underlying causes, and associated factors |
| title_full_unstemmed | Dispensing errors in Lebanese community pharmacies: incidence, types, underlying causes, and associated factors |
| title_short | Dispensing errors in Lebanese community pharmacies: incidence, types, underlying causes, and associated factors |
| title_sort | dispensing errors in lebanese community pharmacies incidence types underlying causes and associated factors |
| topic | medication errors drug prescriptions pharmacies pharmacists professional practice quality assurance health care multivariate analysis cross-sectional studies lebanon |
| url | https://www.pharmacypractice.org/journal/index.php/pp/article/view/2170 |
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