TY - JOUR
T1 - Reducing medication errors in HIV-positive patients
T2 - Influence of a clinical pharmacist
AU - Bronkhorst, Elmien
AU - Joseph-Busby, Michè
AU - Bezuidenhout, Selente
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024. The Authors.
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Background: The roll-out of antiretroviral medicines has improved life expectancy in people living with HIV (PLHIV). This has resulted in more patients being hospitalised for noncommunicable diseases, increasing risk for medication errors (MEs). Pharmacists, through medication reconciliation, may identify and reduce MEs in this population. Objectives: To describe the importance of a pharmacist’s involvement in identifying and quantifying types of MEs. Method: A quantitative, prospective observational study was conducted over 14 weeks. A pharmacist reviewed HIV-positive, hospitalised patients’ files, using a data collection instrument, to determine the prevalence of MEs in PLHIV. The study pharmacist recommended appropriate actions to the prescriber to resolve MEs and documented resolution of the MEs. Results: The study population of n = 180 patient files were reviewed 453 times, identifying 466 MEs. Medication errors included incorrect medication reconciliation from history (19; 4.1%), prescription omission (17; 3.7%), duplication of therapy (10; 2.2%), missed doses (265; 57.1%), incorrect dosing (103; 22.2%), incorrect administration frequency (2; 0.4%), incorrect duration of therapy (15; 3.2%) and drug-drug interactions (18; 3.9%). More than half (58.2%) of the MEs were resolved in less than 24 h, with involvement of the pharmacist. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the magnitude of MEs experienced in hospitalised PLHIV and highlights the role clinical pharmacists play in identifying and resolving MEs to improve patient outcomes.
AB - Background: The roll-out of antiretroviral medicines has improved life expectancy in people living with HIV (PLHIV). This has resulted in more patients being hospitalised for noncommunicable diseases, increasing risk for medication errors (MEs). Pharmacists, through medication reconciliation, may identify and reduce MEs in this population. Objectives: To describe the importance of a pharmacist’s involvement in identifying and quantifying types of MEs. Method: A quantitative, prospective observational study was conducted over 14 weeks. A pharmacist reviewed HIV-positive, hospitalised patients’ files, using a data collection instrument, to determine the prevalence of MEs in PLHIV. The study pharmacist recommended appropriate actions to the prescriber to resolve MEs and documented resolution of the MEs. Results: The study population of n = 180 patient files were reviewed 453 times, identifying 466 MEs. Medication errors included incorrect medication reconciliation from history (19; 4.1%), prescription omission (17; 3.7%), duplication of therapy (10; 2.2%), missed doses (265; 57.1%), incorrect dosing (103; 22.2%), incorrect administration frequency (2; 0.4%), incorrect duration of therapy (15; 3.2%) and drug-drug interactions (18; 3.9%). More than half (58.2%) of the MEs were resolved in less than 24 h, with involvement of the pharmacist. Conclusion: This study demonstrates the magnitude of MEs experienced in hospitalised PLHIV and highlights the role clinical pharmacists play in identifying and resolving MEs to improve patient outcomes.
KW - HIV
KW - clinical pharmacist
KW - co-morbidities
KW - medication errors
KW - opportunistic infections
KW - people living with HIV
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85203352947&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.4102/sajhivmed.v25i1.1594
DO - 10.4102/sajhivmed.v25i1.1594
M3 - Article
C2 - 39228916
AN - SCOPUS:85203352947
SN - 1608-9693
VL - 25
JO - Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine
JF - Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine
IS - 1
M1 - a1594
ER -