ASSESSMENT OF PRESCRIBING AND ADMINSTRATION ERRORS IN PEDIATRIC INPATIENTS IN BLACK LION SPECIALIZED HOSPITAL AND ZEWDITU MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

Assessment of Prescribing and Administration Errors in Pediatric Inpatients in Black Lion Specialized Hospital and Zewditu Memorial Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Hamrawit Fekadu Addis Ababa University, 2014 Medication errors are cause of patient morbidity and mortality. The implication on the health care organization and the cost confirmed its importance as global problem. The aim of this study was to assess the type and frequency of prescribing and medication administration errors (MAEs) in the pediatric wards of Black Lion Specialized Hospital and Zewditu Memorial Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Facility based cross-sectional study was conducted. Retrospective data from 2008-2010 G.C of 2401 medical records to assess prescribing error and prospective observation on 27 nurses administering drug to pediatric inpatients was done. Five thousand eleven prescribing errors were documented in the indicated period. The prescription writing error were the most frequent 2386 (99.4%), followed by wrong dose 1673 (69.67%), drug-drug interaction 767(31.9 %) and wrong frequency 185(7.7%). The most frequently occurring drugs involved in wrong dose and frequency was ceftriaxone (586 times). The most frequent drug-drug interaction was the concurrent prescribing of ampicillin and gentamicin (610 times). More than two diagnoses (AOR = 1.66 95% CI= 1.32- 2.13) was significantly associated with wrong dose. Two (AOR=1.87 95%CI=1.39- 2.52) and more than two diagnoses (AOR=6.00, 95% CI 4.64- 7.77) were significantly associated with drug-drug interaction. Age group and number of diagnoses were not found to have a statistically significant effect on prescription writing error. The frequency of medication administration errors were 71 (35.5%). Wrong dose administration 50 (70.4%), omitted drug 18(25.4%) and wrong iii iv timing 3(4.2%) were the types of medication administration errors occurred. Ceftriaxone was the most commonly involved drug in all the three errors. Frequency of occurrence of prescribing and administration error was high. Awareness creation, continuing medical education and comprehensive researches on medication errors should be done to know more about it and improve the situations. Keywords: Medication administration error, prescribing error, medication errors, inpatient, pediatrics.