Vol. 1, Issue 11 (2013)

Objective: The aim of the study is to evaluate the occurrence of medication error in critical care unit and to evaluate its risk consequences.

Materials and Methods: This is a planned study directed over a time of a half year in a critical care unit of a tertiary tertiary care hospital. Drug outline survey method was collected for data collection. The medication errors were primarily categorised as prescription, transcription, indenting, dispensing, and administration error. A sum of 5,405 charts were studied. The NCCMERP risk index was utilized to assess the result of errors.

Results: Out of the total 5,405 charts reviewed, 415 (7.6%) medication errors were found which makes 7.6%. Transcription error is found to be at peak with 44.87% followed by prescription and administration errors with 36% and 16.34%, respectively. The incidence of indenting and dispensing error is found to be very low with 1.2% and 0.2%, respectively. Thus, the commonest type of error is transcription error.

Conclusion: Major part of the errors are transcription errors followed prescription and administration errors. Doctors must be more careful during recommending and checking the medication charts. Clinical drug specialists should act as a barrier at each progression of prescription interaction to recognize and forestall medication errors.