title: Towards improving dose administration aid supply: a quality improvement intervention aimed at reducing dispensing errors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a risk that medicines can be dispensed into dose administration aids (DAAs), inaccurately or unsuitably. Quality improvement interventions (QIIs) may target this pharmacy medicine supply service and reduce the occurrence of these dispensing errors. In turn, medicine administration can improve in nursing homes (NHs) that use these devices.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To develop, introduce and evaluate the potential of a QII to improve DAA medicine supply.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourteen Victorian community pharmacies and 45 NHs.
  
  
  METHODS
  A QII was developed using findings from three focus groups with 13 participants involved with DAAs at community pharmacies and NHs. The intervention was introduced to community pharmacies and NHs via a pharmacist-facilitated education session; attendees completed an evaluation questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  Potential usefulness and effectiveness of the QII at improving DAA supply and reducing dispensing errors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The QII was titled: 'Be alert and work together for medicine safety, DAA incident awareness toolkit'. Four-hundred and thirty-five questionnaires were returned (85.0 % response rate). Respondents believed the intervention had the potential to improve pharmacy medicine supply or NH medicine administration involving DAAs 'very' (47.3 % of responses) or 'extremely well' (23.4 %). The intervention had the potential to reduce the occurrence of DAA dispensing errors 'very' (49.6 %) or 'extremely well' (20.5 %).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A stakeholder informed QII was perceived to have the potential to improve DAA medicine supply from community pharmacies to NHs and reduce the occurrence of dispensing errors found within them. Future quantitative evaluation of the intervention is required.
authors: Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Monash University, 381 Royal Parade, Parkville, 3052, Australia, julia.gilmartin@monash.edu.
authors: Julia Fiona-Maree
authors: JF
authors: Gilmartin
authors: Jennifer Lillian
authors: JL
authors: Marriott
authors: Safeera Yasmeen
authors: SY
authors: Hussainy
mesh_terms: D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D004349:Drug Packaging; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009735:Nursing Homes / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations / Q000600:supply & distribution; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards*; D058996:Quality Improvement; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria
chemical_list: D004364:Pharmaceutical Preparations
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