Abstract

A PROSPECTIVE STUDY: HOW TO EVALUATE TYPES OF MEDICATION ERRORS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN CCU, MICU, SICU AND GENERAL WARDS

Dr. Hanish Dhammi* and Dr. Vivek Singla

ABSTRACT

A medication error is any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient or consumer. A medication error is a failure in the treatment process that leads to, or has the potential to lead to, harm to the patient. Medication errors can occur in deciding which medicine and dosage regimen to use (prescribing faults - irrational, inappropriate, and ineffective prescribing, under prescribing, overprescribing); writing the prescription (prescription errors); manufacturing the formulation (wrong strength, contaminants or adulterants, wrong or misleading packaging); dispensing the formulation (wrong drug, wrong formulation, wrong label); administering or taking the medicine (wrong dose, wrong route, wrong frequency, wrong duration); monitoring therapy (failing to alter therapy when required, erroneous alteration) Avoiding medication errors is important in balanced prescribing, which is the use of a medicine that is appropriate to the patient's condition and, within the limits created by the uncertainty that attends therapeutic decisions, in a dosage regimen that optimizes the balance of benefit to harm. In balanced prescribing the mechanism of action of the drug should be married to the pathophysiology of the disease.

Keywords: ME-MEDICATION ERROR, CCU-CARDIAC CARE UNIT, MICU-MEDICAL INTENSIVE CARE UNI, SICU-SURGICAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT.