Medication error reporting by community pharmacists in Vermont.
OBJECTIVE
To document community pharmacists' awareness and use of the United States Pharmacopeia Medication Errors Reporting (USP MER) program.


METHODS
Telephone survey.


METHODS
Community pharmacies in Vermont.


METHODS
One self-identified community pharmacist from each community pharmacy.


METHODS
Each operating community pharmacy in Vermont was contacted by telephone between June 2002 and February 2003. The first individual to self-identify himself or herself as a pharmacist was asked to participate. The telephone surveys were conducted using a standard script.


METHODS
Survey responses to questions about awareness and use of USP MER.


RESULTS
A pharmacist was contacted in 98% (122/124) of all operating community pharmacies in Vermont. Nine (7%) pharmacists refused to participate, leaving 113 pharmacists who responded to the survey. Although more than one half of all respondents (70/113; 62%) had heard of USP MER, less than one quarter (24/113; 21%) had ever submitted a report. Significantly more pharmacists employed by independent pharmacies had submitted a report, compared with pharmacists from other pharmacy types (chain, supermarket, mass merchandiser; P = .03). Submitting reports through a corporate hierarchy or to a corporate program was the reason most frequently cited by pharmacists for not submitting reports directly to USP MER (37%). Whether corporate reports were forwarded to USP MER is unknown.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of Vermont community pharmacists were aware of USP MER. However, use was low. Barriers to reporting to a common system such as USP MER may differ depending on pharmacy type. Further research to document the barriers to submitting reports is warranted.
Kennedy
Amanda G
AG
Division of General Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, 371 Pearl Street, Burlington, VT 05401, USA. amanda.kennedy@vtmednet.org
Littenberg
Benjamin
B
D016907:Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D004994:Ethics, Pharmacy; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic / Q000379:methods; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000639:trends; D010602:Pharmacopoeias as Topic; D013997:Time Factors; D014707:Vermont