Factors Affecting the Quality of Reporting Dispensing Errors Among Pharmacists

Medication dispensing errors, which are the inconsistency between the dispensing of medication to the patient against the prescribed medication, continue to be a public health challenge. Many studies have been conducted to examine their causes, including burnout, illegible handwriting, workload, and interruptions. There have also been studies on the types of medication dispensing errors. This study focused on the reporting of errors. The purpose of this quantitative study involving secondary data analysis was to examine the factors affecting the quality of reporting dispensing errors among pharmacists and the seriousness of the adverse events. The social-ecological model served as the theoretical framework for this study. Data from the Food and Drug Administration's adverse event reporting system (FAERS) included 105,376 cases. Research questions involved understanding whether there is an association between the occupation of medication error reporter (physician, pharmacist, other health professional, lawyer, and consumer) and quality and completeness of medication error report, as well as the seriousness of any adverse impacts on the patient, controlling for patient's age, gender, and weight. Using Chi-Squared analysis, the data showed statistically significant association between occupation and dependent variables. Implications for positive social change included improving the understanding of the scale and scope of medication dispensing errors among pharmacists that could lead to a reduction in the rate of dispensing errors.