title: Differences in recognition of similar medication names between pharmacists and nurses: a retrospective study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Differences in error rates between pharmacists and nurses in terms of drug confirmation have not been studied. The purpose of this study was to analyze differences in error rates between pharmacists and nurses from the viewpoint of error categories, and to clarify differences in recognition regarding drug name similarity.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, preparation errors and incidents were classified into three categories (drug strength errors, drug name errors, and drug count errors) to investigate the influence of error categories on pharmacists and nurses. In addition, errors in two categories (drug strength errors and drug name errors) were reclassified into another two error groups, to investigate the influence of drug name similarity on pharmacists and nurses: a "drug name similarity (-) group" and a "drug name similarity (+) group". Then, differences in error rates of pharmacists and those of nurses were analyzed respectively within three categories and two groups. Furthermore, differences in error rates between pharmacists and nurses were analyzed in each of the three categories and two groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Error rates of pharmacists for both drug strength errors and drug name errors were significantly higher than that for drug count errors, and similar results were obtained for nurses (P < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences in error rates between pharmacists and nurses in each of the three categories. Furthermore, error rate of nurses was significantly higher than that of pharmacists in the drug name similarity (+) group (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference in error rates between pharmacists and nurses in the drug name similarity (-) group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that in contrast to pharmacists, nurses are easily affected by similarities in drug names. Therefore, pharmacists should offer information on medications having plural strengths or similar names to nurses, in order to minimize damage to patients resulting from errors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan.
authors.forename: Toshikazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuji
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan.
authors.forename: Toshihiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Irisa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan.
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tagawa
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan.
authors.forename: Takehiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kawashiri
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikesue
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan.
authors.forename: Chiyo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kokubu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan.
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kanaya
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan.
authors.forename: Nobuaki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Egashira
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Kyushu University Hospital, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan.
authors.forename: Satohiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masuda
keywords: Error rates; Incidents; Nurses; Pharmacists; Preparation errors; Similar medication names
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