Kari Svane Mellbye | PubMed Health

PubMed2006

[Prescription errors--dimension and measures].

BACKGROUND: A prescription should contain sufficient information to dispense the right medicine with correct instructions for use. The information given on the prescription also forms the basis for reimbursement of drug expenses. Knowledge of prescription errors may improve the procedures of the prescribing physician and the pharmacy. MATERIAL AND METHOD: Prescriptions without information on the indication of the drug therapy were registered in ten Norwegian pharmacies during two days in the autumn of 2004. Other errors and omissions on prescriptions were registered in nine of the pharmacies during a five week period. RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION: A total of 1884 (39%) of the 4667 prescriptions included in the first part of the study contained no information on the indication. A total of 1696 other errors and omissions were registered on 1359 (2%) of the 69,315 prescriptions included in the second part of the study. The most common errors and omissions were incomplete instructions for use (26%), missing information about the patient (17%), and errors and omissions related to reimbursement of drug expenses. 294 (17%) of the errors were judged to have potential clinical significance if they had not been corrected. The most common intervention was to interview the patient or to contact the prescribing physician. The most common changes were to change or clarify drug and dose.

Drug Information Services↗

PubMed2004

[Heavy consumers of drugs--seen from the viewpoint of the community pharmacist].

BACKGROUND: Heavy users of medicines observed in the pharmacy give an indication of the extent of the phenomenon of polypharmacy, associated with health risks for the individual and a possible overuse of health-services resources. The objective of this study was to identify heavy users of medicines who may be exposed to drug interactions. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We checked prescriptions handed in to a community pharmacy over a period of one month in order to identify those patients who according to the computer system had bought ten or more different drug substances over the last four months. The drugs were checked against DRUID, a Norwegian drug interaction database. RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION: On the basis of a total of 9339 prescriptions, 216 users (2.3%) filled the inclusion criteria; 74% of them were women, 66% were aged 65 or above. A substantial number of potential interactions were detected; the most prevalent were associated with warfarin, NSAIDs and aspirin. Advising heavy users of medical drugs is a challenge for the community pharmacist. More information about this group is needed.

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