Damin Abukhalil Abdallah, Amer Nadine M, Musallam Lina Y, Al-Shami Ni'meh
Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Nursing and Health Professions, Birzeit University, Birzeit Palestine.
Saudi Pharm J. 2022 Apr;30(4):470-477. doi: 10.1016/j.jsps.2022.01.014. Epub 2022 Jan 28.
Increased awareness among healthcare professionals regarding medication errors and the establishment of a medication error reporting system can significantly reduce the prevalence of medication errors. Unfortunately, Palestine lacks a regulatory system for the control, reporting, and education of medication errors.
This study aimed to assess the awareness of medication errors and reporting of medication errors in the Palestinian medical community.
A cross-sectional observational study was conducted using a self-administered survey involving doctors, nurses, and pharmacists in Palestine. The survey consisted of 20 questions to assess healthcare providers' awareness and course of actions related to medication errors. Data were collected from February 2020 to April 2020. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analysis. This study was approved by the ethical committee of Birzeit University.
A total of 394 participants were included, including 202 nurses, 114 doctors, and 78 pharmacists. 203 (51.5%) had a good awareness level of medication errors, whereas 126 (32%) and 65 (16.5%) had average awareness and poor awareness levels, respectively. In addition, 66.0% of providers did not inform the patients after recognizing the error. Fear of legal or social consequences and being too busy are significant barriers to reporting medication errors. Moreover, 35 % of all providers were not aware of the reporting system in their institutions or the reporting methodology, and only 26% of all participants confirmed that their institutions provided continuous education on medication errors.
This study revealed differences in healthcare professionals' awareness of medication errors. The study's findings emphasize the urgent need to adopt appropriate measures to raise awareness about medication errors among healthcare providers in Palestine. Furthermore, establishing a regulatory policy and a national medication error reporting system to improve medication safety.
医疗保健专业人员对用药错误的认识提高以及建立用药错误报告系统可显著降低用药错误的发生率。不幸的是，巴勒斯坦缺乏控制、报告和教育用药错误的监管系统。
本研究旨在评估巴勒斯坦医疗界对用药错误的认识以及用药错误的报告情况。
采用横断面观察性研究，通过自填式调查问卷对巴勒斯坦的医生、护士和药剂师进行调查。该调查问卷包含20个问题，以评估医疗保健提供者对用药错误的认识以及与用药错误相关的行动过程。数据于2020年2月至2020年4月收集。使用社会科学统计软件包（SPSS）进行数据分析。本研究获得了比尔宰特大学伦理委员会的批准。
共纳入394名参与者，包括202名护士、114名医生和78名药剂师。203人（51.5%）对用药错误有良好的认识水平，而分别有126人（32%）和65人（16.5%）的认识水平一般和较差。此外，66.0%的提供者在识别错误后未告知患者。担心法律或社会后果以及太忙是报告用药错误的重大障碍。此外，35%的所有提供者不知道其所在机构的报告系统或报告方法，只有26%的所有参与者确认其所在机构提供了关于用药错误的持续教育。
本研究揭示了医疗保健专业人员对用药错误认识的差异。研究结果强调迫切需要采取适当措施，提高巴勒斯坦医疗保健提供者对用药错误的认识。此外，建立监管政策和国家用药错误报告系统以提高用药安全性。
