Biomedical subjects

Edson Perini

Publications and source records attributed to Edson Perini.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2005

Medication errors and drug-dispensing systems in a hospital pharmacy.

Pharmacies permeate and interconnect various actions developed in different sectors within the complex process of the use of drugs in a hospital. Dispensing failures mean that a breach has occurred in one of the last safety links in the use of drugs. Although most failures do not harm patients, their existence suggests fragility in the process and indicates an increased risk of severe accidents. Present concepts on drug-related incidents may be classified as side effects, adverse effects, and medication errors. Among these are dispensing errors, usually associated with poor safety and inefficient dispensing systems. Factors associated with dispensing errors may be communication failures, problems related to package labels, work overload, the physical structure of the working environment, distraction and interruption, the use of incorrect and outdated information sources and the lack of patient knowledge and education about the drugs they use. So called banal dispensing errors reach significant epidemiological levels. The purpose of this paper, which is part of a study on the occurrence of dispensing errors in the pharmacy of a large hospital, is to review the main concepts that guide studies on adverse effects and to provide an update on dispensing errors.

Humans↗

PubMed2005

[Drug use during in-hospital birth delivery stay].

OBJECTIVE: Drug use in birth delivery has not been enough explored in the literature. It is a significant issue to be discussed on the theme of rational drug use. The objective was to study drug use during birth delivery stay in maternity hospitals. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out using medical records of two private and public maternity hospitals of Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Data were collected on pregnant women's identification, pregnancy, delivery and drug prescribed from medical records of public hospitals and medical records and billing invoice of private maternity hospitals. Statistical analysis was conducted using odds ratio by the Chi-square test and means by t-Student test. RESULTS: Mean in-hospital stay was 2.2 days and it was lower in the private maternity hospital. Cesarean sections were performed in 52.7% of all births, 31.3% in the public hospital and 64.5% in the private hospital. Peridural anesthesia was used in 72.8% of births and local anesthesia in 22.4% (25.3% and 63.7% of births in the public and 98.2% and 0.4% in the private hospital). All women received drugs (minimum of 3 and maximum of 19 different drugs) during their hospital stay. Eighty-three medications (97 active ingredients) were utilized at a total frequency of 3,429. The higher average drug use was 8.5 drugs per woman, in the private maternity hospital. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant difference in drug use between the two maternity hospitals, being it higher in pre- and during birth delivery procedures. The results suggest a preeminent drug use compared to those of other few studies available in the literature. The disproportionate number of cesarean sections and anesthesia explain the differences observed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2004

Analysis of medical prescriptions dispensed at health centers in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

This article focuses on medical prescriptions dispensed at health centers under the Municipal Health Department in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. The study analyzed 4,607 prescriptions from March to April 1999, grouped according to origin (internal or external). The analysis focused on information written on medical prescriptions. The main findings were: (a) an average of 2.4 drugs per prescription in both groups; (b) prescriptions filled out with 4 or more drugs accounted for 18.0% of internal and 17.6% of external prescriptions; (c) 84.3% of internal and 85.5% of external prescriptions provided no instructions for use of medication; (d) information on dosage regimen varied from 51.2% to 97.6% for internal and 57.9% to 96.5% for external prescriptions; (e) generic names were specified for 51.9% and 28.4% of all drugs on internal and external prescriptions, respectively; (f) prescriptions containing standard drugs from the Municipal Health Department accounted for 88.7% of internal and 76.4% of external prescriptions. Data analysis shows the need for continuing education of physicians and adoption of other methods to improve quality of prescriptions and promote rational use of drugs.

Brazil↗

PubMed2003

[Medication errors: who is responsible?].

New diagnostic and therapeutic technologies are used with growing frequency, improving the quality of medical assistance and increasing life expectancy. Health care, however, is becoming progressively more expensive and complex. Adverse events related to medical assistance, particularly errors, are becoming public, being debated and judged in courts. Given their training, health workers are not prepared to deal with errors, which are associated with shame, fear and punishment. The approach to errors in the health system is usually individualistic, considering such events as acts of insecurity performed by careless, non-motivated and ill-trained persons. The tendency is to hide errors when they occur, with the result that an important learning opportunity is lost. There is another way to deal with errors, a systemic view that has obtained positive results in sectors such as aviation, anesthesiology and unit-dose drug distribution systems. These systems have varied degrees of safety and should take into account human limitations when designed and applied. A change in paradigm is needed when dealing with drugs, as it is not enough for a drug to have quality assurance, but the complete process of drug use should be safe. Medication errors, avoidable by definition, are at present a serious public health issue, leading to loss of lives and significant financial losses. A systemic approach to medication errors may disclose failures in the process as a whole, and improvements can be implemented to reduce their occurrence.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗