Medication errors reported in a tertiary care private hospital in Eastern India: a three years experience

Authors

  • Subhrojyoti Bhowmick Department of Clinical Research, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India
  • Shubham Jana Department of Clinical Research, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India
  • Adrija Bandyopadhyay Department of Clinical Research, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India
  • Debarati Kundu Department of Clinical Research, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India
  • Meena Banerjee Department of Nursing, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India
  • Anupam Das Department of Quality Assurance and Medical Administration, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India
  • Sujit KarPurkayastha Department of Gastroenterology, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20202186

Keywords:

Medication error, Eastern India, Private hospital, Administration errors, Prescription error

Abstract

Background: Medication errors (MEs) can cause significant harm to patients. The MEs identified through reporting processes currently report only a fraction of the actual number of MEs. Data about MEs is limited in India, especially from eastern and north-eastern parts of India. The objective of this study was to analyse the various types of Medication errors reported in a tertiary care private hospital in Eastern India. The aim was to determine the various factors associated with these errors and steps to be taken to reduce the MEs in this healthcare setup.

Methods: We carried out a prospective passive surveillance study over the course of 3 years (2016-2018) on 50,822 admitted patients after obtaining approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee. A detailed root-cause analysis was performed for every reported error by a team of healthcare quality professionals and clinical pharmacists along with a clinical pharmacologist followed by appropriate preventive and corrective actions.

Results: In our study, a total number of 88 medication errors were reported from a sample size of 50,822 (0.0017%). 61 of the reported MEs were administration errors (69.3%). Higher preponderance of medication errors was seen in male patients (53.1%) in comparison to female patients (46.9%).

Conclusions: In this study gross under-reporting of MEs were observed which is in line with previously published studies in India. The reasons reported for gross under-reporting can function as an effective tool to ensure improved reporting of MEs and implementation of mitigation strategies.

Author Biographies

Subhrojyoti Bhowmick, Department of Clinical Research, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Clinical Director, Department of Clinical Research

Shubham Jana, Department of Clinical Research, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Executive, Department of Clinical Research

Adrija Bandyopadhyay, Department of Clinical Research, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Intern, Department of Clinical Research

Debarati Kundu, Department of Clinical Research, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Intern, Department of Clinical Research

Meena Banerjee, Department of Nursing, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Chief Nursing Superintendent

Anupam Das, Department of Quality Assurance and Medical Administration, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Senior Manager, Quality Assurance & Medical Administration

Sujit KarPurkayastha, Department of Gastroenterology, Peerless Hospitex Hospital and Research Center Ltd., Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Managing Director

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Published

2020-05-21

How to Cite

Bhowmick, S., Jana, S., Bandyopadhyay, A., Kundu, D., Banerjee, M., Das, A., & KarPurkayastha, S. (2020). Medication errors reported in a tertiary care private hospital in Eastern India: a three years experience. International Journal of Basic & Clinical Pharmacology, 9(6), 937–942. https://doi.org/10.18203/2319-2003.ijbcp20202186

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Original Research Articles