A NARRATIVE REVIEW ARTICLE ON THE ROLE OF CLINICAL PHARMACIST IN DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT OF MEDICATION ERRORS

Nafitha E.*, Dr. Lita Susan Thomas, Dr. Shijikumar P. S., Dr. Sirajudheen M. K., Sherin A.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this narrative review is to study the role of clinical pharmacist in detection and management of medication errors. Medication errors is a night mare among the health care professionals. It leads to morbidity and mortality which in turn prolong the length of hospitalization. The frequency with which the various types of medication error occur and role of clinical pharmacist in detection and prevention of these error were evaluated in the study. Medication errors can occur at any stage of medication use, process, ordering, dispensing, administering or monitoring. The pharmacist, the prescriber and all health care professional must work together to ensure that patient achieve therapeutic out comes with safe and effective use of medication. The drug dosing, selection of drug regimen, uses and interaction of drugs, increased work load are found to be the cause of medication errors. All these error to be detected, reported and prevented by clinical pharmacist. A clinical pharmacist can initiate medication error reporting system which would improve the patient safety and visit the patient during pre-ward rounds and ward rounds of the prescriber to check bed side medication errors The medication errors were analyzed by medication chart review and the severity assessment index of national coordinating council for medication error reporting and prevention (NCCMERP). Therefore a clinical pharmacist can play a vital role in identification and prevention of medication errors by conducting awareness programmes for all the health care professionals and educate the public, minimizing the incidence of medication errors.

Keywords: Medication Error, Clinical Pharmacy, Clinical Pharmacist, Patient Safety, Prescription Error.