Techs cut dispensing errors

NEW research showcased in the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia’s Journal of Pharmacy Prac ce and Research has found that having trained technicians perform final verification of dispensing processes significantly reduced the risk of hospital pharmacy dispensing errors.

The systematic review

Interven ons to decrease the incidence of dispensing errors in

hospital pharmacy was conducted by pharmacists from Alfred Health and Monash Pharmacy, and found that interventions reduced the overall rate of dispensing errors by almost 50%.

While pharmacy technician verifications were the most effective intervention, other studies covered looked at the impact of technology such as barcode scanning, pharmacy carousels and robotic dispensing machines.

After analysing studies from Australia, France, Spain, Taiwan, the UK and the USA, the authors of the report concluded that “the final verification step of the dispensing process is a key strategy for preventing errors before a dispense medication reaches the patient”.

Contributors to dispensing errors included poor design of dispensaries, lack of support for a no-blame culture around error identification, and inadequate staff training and experience.

There was also increased concern around errors involving look-alike-sound-alike (LASA) medication names and packaging, which had become increasingly noticeable with the advent of generics.

The study’s conclusions are available at onlinelibrary.wiley.com.

The Feb 2021 issue of JPPR is available free to SHPA members, and also features editorials from the American Society of HealthSystem Pharmacists (ASHP) covering recommendations from the organisation’s Practice Advancement Initiative 2030.