ArticleBMJ open2019
Prevalence, nature and risk factors for medication administration omissions in English NHS hospital inpatients: a retrospective multicentre study using Medication Safety Thermometer data.
Article in BMJ open, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Pooled it
- Medication discrepancies and medication-related problems in psychiatric patients: A medication reconciliation study.Daru : journal of Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences · 2026Article
- Bedside Medication Management: Pharmacy Technicians Managing Patient Medication Supply to Improve Nursing Productivity and Patient Safety.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Article
- Automated dispensing cabinets and the effect on omitted doses of ward stock medicines; can implementation reduce delays to first dose antimicrobials?Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2025Article
- Analysis of omission of antimicrobial doses in Intensive Care Units.Revista brasileira de enfermagem · 2024Article
- Best Possible Medication History Collection by Clinical Pharmacist in a Preoperative Setting: An Observational Prospective Study.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Impact of a policy to improve the management of oral medications when patients are fasting before a procedure: an interrupted time series analysis.BMJ open quality · 2022Article
- Prevalence, nature and predictors of omitted medication doses in mental health hospitals: A multi-centre study.PloS one · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo determine the prevalence, nature and predictors of patients having medication administration omissions in hospitals.
methodsAll medication administration omissions data collected using the standardised methodology of the Medication Safety Thermometer in January 2015 were examined. Hospital inpatients prescribed at least one medication were included in the analysis. Multilevel logistic regression models ascertained the effects of patients' gender, age, number of prescribed medicines, ward specialty and medicines reconciliation initiation status on the likelihood of having omissions. Valid clinical reasons (VCRs) were excluded from regression models. A sensitivity analysis, excluding patient refusal (PR) omissions, was also conducted.
resultsThe final study sample included 5708 patients from 320 wards in 37 hospitals. Excluding VCRs, 30% of patients had medication administration omissions (95% CI 29 to 30). Approximately half of patients with omissions had refused medicines (51%, 95% CI 49 to 53). Univariable analysis suggested that all variables were significantly associated with omissions. However, in the multivariable model, significant differences were only observed regarding the numbers of medicines patients were prescribed and their ward specialty. Patients prescribed more than 20 medications were approximately five times more likely to have had omissions than patients prescribed one to four medications (OR 4.99, 95% CI 3.22 to 7.73). Patients on surgical wards were also more likely to have had omissions than those on medical wards (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.14 to 2.18, p=0.006), but there was no significant difference when PRs were excluded (OR 0.5, 95% CI 0.27 to 1.22, p=0.473).
conclusionMedication administration omissions are a substantial problem that affect many hospital patients, and certain patient groups are at higher risk. Specific interventions are required targeting the underlying reasons for medication omissions for different patient subgroups.
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