title: Implementation of pharmacists' interventions and assessment of medication errors in an intensive care unit of a Chinese tertiary hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pharmacist interventions and medication errors potentially differ between the People's Republic of China and other countries. This study aimed to report interventions administered by clinical pharmacists and analyze medication errors in an intensive care unit (ICU) in a tertiary hospital in People's Republic of China.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective, noncomparative, 6-month observational study was conducted in a general ICU of a tertiary hospital in the People's Republic of China. Clinical pharmacists performed interventions to prevent or resolve medication errors during daily rounds and documented all of these interventions and medication errors. Such interventions and medication errors were categorized and then analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the 6-month observation period, a total of 489 pharmacist interventions were reported. Approximately 407 (83.2%) pharmacist interventions were accepted by ICU physicians. The incidence rate of medication errors was 124.7 per 1,000 patient-days. Improper drug frequency or dosing (n=152, 37.3%), drug omission (n=83, 20.4%), and potential or actual occurrence of adverse drug reaction (n=54, 13.3%) were the three most commonly committed medication errors. Approximately 339 (83.4%) medication errors did not pose any risks to the patients. Antimicrobials (n=171, 35.0%) were the most frequent type of medication associated with errors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Medication errors during prescription frequently occurred in an ICU of a tertiary hospital in the People's Republic of China. Pharmacist interventions were also efficient in preventing medication errors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Sai-Ping
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: Intensive Care Unit, the First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xing-Guo
authors.initials: XG
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Xiao-Yang
authors.initials: XY
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Qing-Wei
authors.initials: QW
authors.lastname: Zhao
keywords: intensive care unit; medication error; pharmacist; prevalence rate; severity; type