References

Alqenae FA, Steinke D, Keers RN. Prevalence and Nature of Medication Errors and Medication-Related Harm Following Discharge from Hospital to Community Settings: A Systematic Review. Drug Saf. 2020; 43:(6)517-537 https://doi.org/10.1007/s40264-020-00918-3

British Medical Association & Royal Pharmaceutical Society. British National Formulary 82. 2021. https://bnf.nice.org.uk/ (accessed 4 December 2021)

Broadhead R. Professional, Legal & Ethical issues in Prescribing Practice. 2020, 3rd ed. In: Nuttall Dilyse, Rutt-Howard J. : Wiley; 2020

Ensing HT, Koster ES, van Berkel PI, van Dooren AA, Bouvy ML. Problems with continuity of care identified by community pharmacists post-discharge. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2017; 42:(2)170-177 https://doi.org/10.1111/jcpt.12488

Royal Pharmaceutical Society. A competency framework for all prescribers. 2021. https://www.rpharms.com/resources/frameworks/prescribing-competency-framework/competency-framework (4 December 2021)

World Health Organisation. Global patient safety challenge: Medication without harm. 2017. https://www.who.int/initiatives/medication-without-harm (4 December 2021)

Avoidance of drug errors between hospital and home

02 January 2022
Volume 4 · Issue 1

Ensing et al (2017) reported that there is a significant rise in emerging literature that highlights the increasing prevalence of medication discrepancies and adverse drug events on discharge from secondary care settings. They identified that the primary reasons for these deficits included the complexities of multiple healthcare professionals being involved in the patients' care; inadequate documentation; miscommunication and changes in medication regimes from home to hospital and vice versa. Furthermore, a systematic review of the literature, undertaken by Alqunae et al (2020) identified that care transition from hospital to community settings increases the risk of adverse outcomes for patients resulting from prescribing, dispensing and administration errors, failure to monitor and follow up the patient, and poor communication between practitioners, with some mistakes resulting in hospital readmission, serious harm or death.

Broadhead (2020) identified that transcribing medication regimens on discharge home or transfer to other care settings, accounts for a notable explanation for adverse drug errors and advises that transposing information should only be undertaken by those who are competent to do so. Thorough evaluation of current practice in prescribing, transcribing, dispensing and administration should be undertaken to assure health care practitioners' collective participation in meeting the aim to ‘reduce severe, avoidable harm related to medications by 50% in the next 5 years’ (World Health Organisation, 2017).

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