Identifying and mitigating prescribing errors in outpatient clinics: a prospective analysis of pharmacist interventions and clinical outcomes

Background : Although prescribing errors (PEs) are a major threat to patient safety in primary care, there is a scarcity of data on their occurrence and nature in Jordanian primary care. Objectives : This study aimed to investigate the incidence, types, severity, and predictors of PEs in Jordanian primary healthcare, as well as the nature and outcomes of pharmacist interventions. Method : This was a prospective observational study conducted in 12 community pharmacies across Jordan over 12 weeks. Results : Of the 617 patients included, 102 experienced PEs, resulting in a total of 165 erroneous medication orders. The overall incidence rates of PEs and patients with errors were 14.9% and 16.5%, respectively. The most common erroneous therapeutic category was antibiotics (24.8%), followed by analgesics (14.5%). The most common type of PE was wrong drug (33.33%), followed by omission errors (25.52%) and wrong dose (17.19%). The least common type was wrong duration (10.94%). Of the 192 PEs identified, nine (4.69%) were deemed lethal, 42 (21.88%) severe, and 75 (39.06%) moderate in severity. The most common dosage form for patients with errors was tablets (55.7%). The total number of pharmacist interventions was 216, of which 66.7% were process-based and 33.3% outcome-based. Among these interventions, 75.0% were fully accepted by patients and 68.5% were fully approved by physicians. Conclusion : Overall, PEs in primary care were common and could cause severe harm. Wrong drug, omission, and wrong dose were the most frequent types of PEs. Pharmacist interventions were crucial and fell into two major categories: process-based and outcome-based.