title: A description of medication errors reported by pharmacists in a neonatal intensive care unit.
abstract: Background Patients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) are at an increased risk for medication errors. Objective The objective of this study is to describe the nature and setting of medication errors occurring in patients admitted to an NICU in Qatar based on a standard electronic system reported by pharmacists. Setting Neonatal intensive care unit, Doha, Qatar. Method This was a retrospective cross-sectional study on medication errors reported electronically by pharmacists in the NICU between January 1, 2014 and April 30, 2015. Main outcome measure Data collected included patient information, and incident details including error category, medications involved, and follow-up completed. Results A total of 201 NICU pharmacists-reported medication errors were submitted during the study period. All reported errors did not reach the patient and did not cause harm. Of the errors reported, 98.5% occurred in the prescribing phase of the medication process with 58.7% being due to calculation errors. Overall, 53 different medications were documented in error reports with the anti-infective agents being the most frequently cited. The majority of incidents indicated that the primary prescriber was contacted and the error was resolved before reaching the next phase of the medication process. Conclusion Medication errors reported by pharmacists occur most frequently in the prescribing phase of the medication process. Our data suggest that error reporting systems need to be specific to the population involved. Special attention should be paid to frequently used medications in the NICU as these were responsible for the greatest numbers of medication errors.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. shane.pawluk@qu.edu.qa.|Pharmacy Department, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar. shane.pawluk@qu.edu.qa.
authors.forename: Shane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pawluk
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Myriam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jaam
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Qatar University, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Fatima
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hazi
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Moza Sulaiman
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Al Hail
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Wessam
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: El Kassem
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Hanan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Khalifa
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Binny
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Women's Hospital, Hamad Medical Corporation, PO Box 3050, Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Pallivalappila
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Abdul Rouf
mesh_terms: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007363:Intensive Care Units, Neonatal / Q000639:trends; D008297:Male; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000639:trends; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000639:trends; D024382:Professional Role; D011780:Qatar / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents
keywords: Medication errors; Neonates; Patient safety; Qatar; Quality assurance