Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37682400›Full record

SynthesisInternational journal of clinical pharmacy2023

Prevalence, contributing factors, and interventions to reduce medication errors in outpatient and ambulatory settings: a systematic review.

Lina Naseralallah, Derek Stewart, Malcom Price, Vibhu Paudyal

Open access · hybridAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in International journal of clinical pharmacy, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 35 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
35citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
8.7field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

35 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 49 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

Lina NaseralallahSchool of Pharmacy, College of Medical and Dental Science, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sir Robert Aitken Institute for Medical Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3035-1357
Derek StewartClinical Pharmacy and Practice Department, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7360-8592
Malcom PriceInstitute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7352-3027
Vibhu PaudyalSchool of Pharmacy, College of Medical and Dental Science, Institute of Clinical Sciences, Sir Robert Aitken Institute for Medical Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK. v.paudyal@bham.ac.uk.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4173-6490
University of Birmingham · GBQatar University · QAUniversity Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust · GB

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMedication errors are common events that compromise patient safety. Outpatient and ambulatory settings enhance access to healthcare which has been linked to favorable outcomes. While medication errors have been extensively researched in inpatient settings, there is dearth of literature from outpatient settings.

aimTo synthesize the peer-reviewed literature on the prevalence, nature, contributory factors, and interventions to minimize medication errors in outpatient and ambulatory settings.

methodA systematic review was conducted using Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and Google Scholar which were searched from 2011 to November 2021. Quality assessment was conducted using the quality assessment checklist for prevalence studies tool. Data related to contributory factors were synthesized according to Reason's accident causation model.

resultsTwenty-four articles were included in the review. Medication errors were common in outpatient and ambulatory settings (23-92% of prescribed drugs). Prescribing errors were the most common type of errors reported (up to 91% of the prescribed drugs, high variations in the data), with dosing errors being most prevalent (up to 41% of the prescribed drugs). Latent conditions, largely due to inadequate knowledge, were common contributory factors followed by active failures. The seven studies that discussed interventions were of poor quality and none used a randomized design.

conclusionMedication errors (particularly prescribing errors and dosing errors) in outpatient settings are prevalent, although reported prevalence range is wide. Future research should be informed by behavioral theories and should use high quality designs. These interventions should encompass system-level strategies, multidisciplinary collaborations, effective integration of pharmacists, health information technology, and educational programs.

Indexed as

Medication ErrorsOutpatientsDelivery of Health CareHumansPatient SafetyPrevalenceAmbulatoryContributory factorsMedication errorsOutpatientSystematic review

Identifiers

PMID37682400
PMCPMC10682158
OpenAlexW4386530033

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.