Medicine Returns from Wards to Pharmacies in Tertiary Care Hospital Setting of Karachi: Factor Analysis and its Effect on Pharmacy Services

摘要

OBJECTIVES: To assess the frequency and contributing factors for medicine return from wards to the Pharmacy Department and itseffects on medication errors.STUDY DESIGN: A Retrospective Cohort StudyPLACE AND DURATION: The study was conducted from 1st January 2014 to 31st March 2014 in a tertiary care hospital of Karachi.METHODOLOGY: In this study, 10 medicines were chosen by non-probability sampling methods which are part of nursing floor stockand have highest prescribing and return rates from wards to pharmacy. All the antibiotics, refrigerated medicines, extemporaneouscompounding's (sterile or non-sterile) and those dispensed at OPD pharmacy setting were excluded. Beside medicine return data,reported error medicine data was also taken.RESULTS: 60% of the medicines return from wards to the pharmacy was of injectable dosage form, followed by oral dosage form i.e.,30%. The major contributing factors for the return of medicines from wards to pharmacy were discharge of patients (39.1%),discontinuation of medicine (20.9%), and deactivation of medicine order (8.4%). The operating room pharmacy received highestnumber of medicine return, i.e., 34.2%, followed by Medicine pharmacy, i.e. 27%. Similarly the highest numbers of reported medicineerrors were observed in operating room pharmacy and medicine ward pharmacy, i.e. 35.8% and 24.6% respectivelyCONCLUSION: The medicine return is proportionate to the medication error. Both the medicine return and medication errors can becontrolled by upgrading nursing floor stock medicines list and also by improving the medication management system.