Predictors of prescription errors involving anticancer chemotherapy agents

Objectives To determine the impact of barcode medication administration (BCMA) on the incidence of medication administration errors among patients in an onco-hematology day hospital and to identify the characteristics of medication errors in that setting. . Sample & setting 715 patients treated in the onco-hematology day unit at the Principe de Asturias University Hospital in Madrid, Spain. . Methods & variables A between-groups, pre-/postintervention study was conducted. Administration errors observed in patients with solid tumors (intervention group) were compared with those in patients with hematologic cancer (control group) before and after the introduction of BCMA. Error incidence, type, and severity were assessed, as was length of stay for treatment. . Results Use of a BCMA system reduced the incidence and severity of errors in medication administration in the onco-hematology day hospital. . Implications for nursing BCMA is a useful technology to check the five rights of medication administration in the onco-hematology day hospital and could help nurses increase the time spent on direct patient care activities. .

Impact of a Barcode Medication Administration System on Patient Safety .

Which are the guidelines and scientific aspects for repackaged oral solid medications in France in 2010 whereas it develops? The transient or definitive displacement of the solid oral form from the original atmosphere to enter a repackaging process, sometimes automated, is likely to play a primary role in the controversy. However, the solid oral dose is to be repackaged in materials with defined quality. Considering these data, a review of the literature for determination of conditions for repackaged drug stability according to different international guidelines is presented in this paper. Attention is also paid to the defined conditions ensuring the conservation and handling of theses drugs throughout the repackaging process. However, there is lack of scientific published stability data. Nevertheless, recent alternatives may be proposed to overcome the complexity of studying stability in such conditions. Then, the comparison of the moisture barrier properties of the respective package, a galenic model of hygroscopic molecules, or light sensitive molecules or stability data obtained during the industrial preformulation phase could also secure the list of drugs to be reconditioned. Similarly, a wise precaution will be to get stability data for the industrial blisters and unit doses undergoing the real conditions of the medication use process in hospitals and other healthcare settings. By now, reduction of dispensing errors and improvement of the compliance aid put a different perspective on the problem of repackaged drugs. To date, the pharmacist is advised to carry out its analysis of the risks.

Déconditionnement et stabilité des formes orales sèches solides : états des connaissances

A number of strategies have been shown to improve the quality of drug prescriptions. The objective of this study was to implement and assess the effectiveness of 3 interventions on physicians' prescribing and cost containment: training physicians about quality prescribing; regulatory and administrative measures to improve rational drug prescribing; and a multi-faceted approach using 2 these strategies plus additional elements. Three public health centres, 1 for each intervention, were randomly selected; 61 physicians were trained in drug prescribing and completed a pre- and post-training questionnaire; and 100 post-intervention prescriptions from each centre were compared. All 3 interventions effectively improved the quality of drug prescriptions and the notation of drug-related information and trainees returned positive evaluations of the training course. Whether or not physicians' improvement in prescribing will be sustained is unclear and therefore subsequent follow-up evaluations are needed.

/pdf/effectiveness-of-three-interventions-on-primary-care-1cjww0ky97.pdf

Effectiveness of three interventions on primary care physicians' medication prescribing in Riyadh City, Saudi Arabia.

Background: Maryland hospitals have been improving the safety of medication use practices since 2000. A retrospective analysis of 35 hospitals was conducted for 2005–2007 to determine the changes in medication use practices, communication methods within hospitals, patient education and changes in medical record management.

Methods: Thirty-five Maryland hospitals completed the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Medication Safety Self-Assessment for Hospitals, a voluntary initiative to improve the safety of medication use. A weighting structure is applied to calculate key element scores, core characteristic scores and overall self-assessment scores that were used in ANOVA and regression analyses.

Findings: The state-wide aggregate score significantly increased from 74.2% in 2005 to 81.2% in 2007 (p<0.05). The 35 hospitals scored highest in the following key areas in 2007: drug standardisation, storage and distribution (90.2%); drug labelling, packaging and nomenclature (88.1%); and environmental factors (84.3%). Results indicated that hospitals scored lowest in the key element area related to accessibility of patient information (72.5%) and in the core characteristics pertaining to redundancies and independent double checks (64.2%) in 2007. A substantial number of hospitals had positive and significant (p<0.05) changes in certain key elements and/or core characteristics. Few hospitals showed significant (p<0.05) decreases in their scores.

Conclusion: MEDSAFE has directly assisted Maryland hospitals in improving medication use safety. The strategies and tools of MEDSAFE have been used in Maryland since 2000 and Singapore and Austria since 2006.

Enhancing medication use safety: benefits of learning from your peers

http://www.aulamedica.es/gdcr/index.php/fh/article/download/820/820

Errores asociados con la prescripción, validación, preparación y administración de medicamentos citostáticos

Efectividad de una intervención en la mejora de la calidad de prescripción con receta médica en atención especializada

Línea de Control de Calidad en el reenvasado de medicamentos. Bases metodológicas. Diseño. Utilidad

[Analysis of the errors associated with the prescription, preparation and administration of cytostatic drugs].

http://www.grupoaran.com/mrmUpdate/lecturaPDFfromXML.asp?IdArt=456436&TO=RVN&Eng=0

M.D. Iranzo Fernández

Papers

Errores asociados con la prescripción, validación, preparación y administración de medicamentos citostáticos

Efectividad de una intervención en la mejora de la calidad de prescripción con receta médica en atención especializada

Línea de Control de Calidad en el reenvasado de medicamentos. Bases metodológicas. Diseño. Utilidad

[Analysis of the errors associated with the prescription, preparation and administration of cytostatic drugs].

Evaluación de la prescripción de medicamentos en los informes de alta en un hospital universitario