ReviewCureus2026
Medication Errors in Primary Healthcare: A Systematic Review of Their Causes, Prevention, and Impact on Patient Safety.
Review in Cureus, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Medication errors and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) remain major patient safety concerns in primary healthcare settings worldwide, contributing substantially to preventable morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs. This systematic review synthesized evidence regarding the prevalence, causes, prevention strategies, and impacts of medication errors in primary care. A comprehensive search of PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science was conducted for studies published between 2013 and 2024. Eligible studies included randomized controlled trials, observational studies, qualitative studies, and systematic reviews with meta-analyses focusing on medication safety in primary healthcare settings. Thirteen studies involving more than 1.7 million participants were included. Medication errors were highly prevalent, particularly among older adults, patients with chronic diseases, and individuals exposed to polypharmacy. Common medication-related problems included inappropriate dosing, prescribing errors, ADRs, and drug interactions. Communication failures, insufficient medication reconciliation, lack of provider training, and systemic healthcare barriers were frequently identified contributing factors. Preventable adverse drug events were associated with significant clinical and economic burdens, including increased hospitalizations and healthcare costs. While professional and organizational interventions demonstrated variable effectiveness, pharmacist-led medication reviews and clinical pharmacy services consistently improved medication safety outcomes and reduced prescription-related costs. However, the certainty of this evidence is limited by heterogeneity in study designs, settings, and outcome definitions and the moderate methodological quality of several included studies. The findings emphasize that medication errors in primary care remain a significant global health challenge requiring multifaceted interventions focused on communication, education, standardized protocols, clinical pharmacy integration, and patient-centered approaches to improve medication safety and healthcare quality.
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Registered trials
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