Cross-sectional study: evaluation of prescribing error pattern in Outpatient Pharmacy Department of Hospital Sultanah Bahiyah

Prescribing errors have been a source of concern for a long period now. Many researches have been carried out to identify the problem and find ways to reduce the error. Prescribing error is a failure in the prescribing process that may lead to or has the potential to lead to give harm to patients. When an error is detected, pharmacy staffs have to make confirmations with the doctor and hence will increase patient waiting time. This research was carried out to determine common prescribing error in a prescription, to access the relationship between factors and type of error and to identify suggestions and ways to overcome prescribing error. The data were collected using data collection form involving all prescription detected with prescribing error at outpatient pharmacy department. The data collections were done by pharmacist at the registration and screening counter. The collected data was analysed using SPSS. Most type of error detected is incomplete order (49.5%) resulted from prescriber’s absence of awareness followed by error of wrong dose (16.8%). Most common prescriber who made prescribing error was housemen officer (52.5%) followed by medical officer (34.7%). From the analysed data, we found that the longest time taken to reach the prescriber was 30 minutes. This has already doubled the patient waiting time to receive their medicines as the policy of the outpatient pharmacy department stated that patient waiting time is supposedly half of an hour with valid prescription. Therefore, we are determined that this research will help to highlight out the root of prescribing error problem and can decrease patient waiting time besides improving their quality of life.