title: Omitted medications: a continuing problem.
abstract: Failure to provide prescribed medicines to inpatients has the potential to cause significant patient harm, to delay the resolution of the pathology and to increase the length of hospital stay. We measured the frequency at which medications were omitted in the non-admitting medical wards of a district general hospital, using two point-prevalence studies spaced one month apart. The results showed that the omission of prescribed medications remains a problem throughout the hospital stay of the patient. Among the charts studied, 73% had omitted medications. The most common cause of omission was patients' refusal (47.22%), followed by patients' inability to take the medicine (22.7%). Medication unavailability came third (17.04%). Increased communication between medical, nursing and pharmacy staff, along with regular review of the patients by the patient team, with a view of reducing medication omission will go a long way in reducing the incidence of this problem.
authors: Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham, UK drshandilya@gmail.com.
authors: Saurabh
authors: S
authors: Shandilya
authors: Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham, UK.
authors: Khwaja
authors: K
authors: Nizamuddin
authors: Bradford Royal Infirmary, Bradford, UK.
authors: Mohammad Waqar
authors: MW
authors: Faisal
authors: Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham, UK.
authors: Sajjad
authors: S
authors: Noor
authors: Wrexham Maelor Hospital, Wrexham, UK.
authors: Sam
authors: S
authors: Abraham
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D061214:Patient Safety
keywords: Omitted medications; hospital admission; hospital prescriptions; medication errors; medicine reconciliation
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