Certified pharmacy technicians’ views on their medication preparation errors and educational needs

Desselle, Shane P.

doi:10.2146/ajhp040549

Cited by 20 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…Lastly, reducing medication errors will require increased emphasis on education about drug-related iatrogenic disease 35. The teaching and training of health professionals is recognized as an important tool to prevent mistakes and increase patient safety 36…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frequency, Types, and Potential Clinical Significance of Medication-Dispensing Errors

Bohand

Simon

Perrier

et al. 2009

Clinics

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INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: Many dispensing errors occur in the hospital, and these can endanger patients. The purpose of this study was to assess the rate of dispensing errors by a unit dose drug dispensing system, to categorize the most frequent types of errors, and to evaluate their potential clinical significance. METHODS: A prospective study using a direct observation method to detect medication-dispensing errors was used. From March 2007 to April 2007, “errors detected by pharmacists” and “errors detected by nurses” were recorded under six categories: unauthorized drug, incorrect form of drug, improper dose, omission, incorrect time, and deteriorated drug errors. The potential clinical significance of the “errors detected by nurses” was evaluated. RESULTS: Among the 734 filled medication cassettes, 179 errors were detected corresponding to a total of 7249 correctly fulfilled and omitted unit doses. An overall error rate of 2.5% was found. Errors detected by pharmacists and nurses represented 155 (86.6%) and 24 (13.4%) of the 179 errors, respectively. The most frequent types of errors were improper dose (n = 57, 31.8%) and omission (n = 54, 30.2%). Nearly 45% of the 24 errors detected by nurses had the potential to cause a significant (n = 7, 29.2%) or serious (n = 4, 16.6%) adverse drug event. CONCLUSIONS: Even if none of the errors reached the patients in this study, a 2.5% error rate indicates the need for improving the unit dose drug-dispensing system. Furthermore, it is almost certain that this study failed to detect some medication errors, further arguing for strategies to prevent their recurrence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frequency, Types, and Potential Clinical Significance of Medication-Dispensing Errors

Bohand

Simon

Perrier

et al. 2009

Clinics

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“…A prerequisite for such organization of work is a defined policy for emergency issuing of goods, which is necessary due to the nature of work in a hospital. Our assessment, based on the experience and findings of the authors of papers [10][11][12][13][14][15] who researched the effect of multitasking and interruptions on the pharmacy employees and processes, is that such improvements will lead to a decrease in the number of errors in the pharmacy processes. This will result in greater patient satisfaction and a better balance in the employees' work.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interruptions and distractions at work are recognized by pharmaceutical technicians as factors that have the biggest impact on the medication preparation errors in a pharmacy [10]. These factors also prolong the time required for standard activities done by pharmacists and pharmaceutical technicians by 27% on average [11].…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solving Problems of Interruptions and Multitasking in the Pharmacy of a Large Hospital Centre

Gudlin

Hegedić

Cajner

et al. 2019

TFAMENA

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This paper presents an approach to solving problems of interruptions and multitasking in inpatient pharmacy processes of a large hospital centre, which is based on statistical modelling and simulations. The approach is applied to the process of receiving deliveries (from suppliers) to determine the feasibility of improvements in the organization of work. In the initial phase of research, data on the deliveries from suppliers were collected during the time study and a typical daily load on the pharmacy staff and infrastructure in the current state was simulated. Subsequently, a new organizational model, which included two defined blocks of time for delivery, was suggested and three simulation scenarios were created to examine the effects of new organization of work on daily activities. Finally, a comparison of system constraints and results obtained by the simulation models confirmed the feasibility of the proposed improvements. By implementing the new organization of work, it will be possible to avoid overlapping in pharmacy processes, which will reduce interruptions to work and the need for multitasking and will finally result in fewer errors in work.

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“…However, continuing education is not required among all pharmacy technicians, and on the job training may be inconsistent and depend on the availability and ambition of the pharmacy technician. In a recent study, only 16.8% of pharmacy technician respondents reported that, in their most recent medication preparation error, pharmacists provided instruction on how to reduce the chance of a similar error in the future [ 42 ]. Findings from our study indicate that pharmacist-technician working relationships can be improved by pharmacists trusting, empowering, reassuring and providing positive reinforcement to help a pharmacy technician to gain confidence and knowledge in his or her roles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Hidden Role of Community Pharmacy Technicians in Ensuring Patient Safety with the Use of E-Prescribing

2015

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Objectives It has been reported that supportive personnel, such as pharmacy technicians, are key participants in the use of health information technology. The purpose of this study was to describe how pharmacy technicians use e-prescribing and to explore the characteristics of technicians that support pharmacists in ensuring patient safety. Methods This was a qualitative study that used observations, interviews, and focus groups to understand the role of pharmacy technicians in e-prescribing. Fourteen pharmacy technicians and 13 pharmacists from five community pharmacies participated. Observations lasted about nine hours in each pharmacy. Follow-up interviews and two separate focus groups were later conducted. Observation field notes and audio recordings were transcribed and thematically analyzed. Results Pharmacy technicians were primarily responsible for all steps leading up to pharmacist review of the e-prescription and dispensing of medications to the patient. Technician characteristics, including experience, certification status, and knowledge of appropriate medication use, were reported as important factors in supporting a pharmacist’s role in ensuring patient safety with the use of e-prescribing. Conclusion Study findings indicate that pharmacy technicians have an important role in supporting pharmacists to prevent medication errors. Certain characteristics of pharmacy technicians were identified with the potential to improve the e-prescription medication dispensing process and decrease patient harm through the identification and resolution of errors.

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Certified pharmacy technicians’ views on their medication preparation errors and educational needs

Abstract: A nationwide sample of certified pharmacy technicians ranked interruptions and inadequate staffing as the factors contributing most to their medication preparation errors.

Cited by 20 publications

References 5 publications

Frequency, Types, and Potential Clinical Significance of Medication-Dispensing Errors

Frequency, Types, and Potential Clinical Significance of Medication-Dispensing Errors

Solving Problems of Interruptions and Multitasking in the Pharmacy of a Large Hospital Centre

The Hidden Role of Community Pharmacy Technicians in Ensuring Patient Safety with the Use of E-Prescribing

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