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Pharmacy
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Improving Medication Safety: Role of Providers, Patients and Technology
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Improving Medication Safety: Role of Providers, Patients and Technology

A special issue of Pharmacy (ISSN 2226-4787).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2018) | Viewed by 44752

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jimmy Jose

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy, University of Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman, Nizwa, Oman
Interests: drug safety; intensive monitoring studies in drug safety; patient education on drug safety; knowledge, attitude and practice of public on drug use; patient medication adherence
Dr. Muhammad Abdul Hadi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Practice, College of Pharmacy, QU Health, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar
Interests: mixed-methods; health services research; medication safety; adherence
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ensuring safe and effective use of medicines is critical in achieving desired therapeutic outcomes. Healthcare providers have been at the center of attention in the drug safety debate, but there is a growing recognition of the role of patients in drug safety. The exclusive role of patients in improving the safe use of drugs requires continuous emphasis as all the efforts from other sources will be in vain unless the end users play an active role in the whole process. Health care technologies can greatly influence the efforts in improving safety. In the present digital era, the influence of various information sources on the safety of medications at the level of providers as well as patients is worth appraising.

This Special Issue on “Improving Medication Safety—Role of Providers, Patients and Technology” would like to invite authors from across the world to contribute original research and review articles, both narrative and systematic, short communications, editorials, and commentaries. The special interest of this issue is on identifying and representing the unique role of various health care providers and patients themselves in improving medication safety. The impact and role of health care technologies, as well as information sources on medication safety, are of additional interest as part of this themed issue.

We welcome submission of manuscripts which deal with a broad range of topics, such as:

  • Practical approaches or interventions which influence/improve medication safety
  • Unique role of providers; pharmacists, clinicians, nurses and other health care providers in medication safety
  • Multidisciplinary approaches/systems to enhance medication safety
  • Educational initiatives to improve medication safety
  • Influence of sharing of information on medication safety on the patients and public
  • Various Information sources and its exclusive influence on medication safety in real life
  • Role of technology at various stages of medication safety in clinical practice

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jimmy Jose
Dr. Muhammad Abdul Hadi
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Pharmacy is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Harms Reduction
  • Healthcare Technology
  • Health Information Sources
  • Medication Safety
  • Medicines Optimization 
  • Patient-provider Partnership
  • Multi-disciplinary Approaches 

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 474 KiB  
Article
General Public Views, Attitudes, and Experiences toward Drug Safety in Dubai, United Arab Emirates: A Qualitative Approach
by Doaa Alkhalidi, Shazia Qasim Jamshed, Ramadan Mohamed Elkalmi, Mirza Rafi Baig, Adeel Aslam and Mohamed Azmi Hassali
Pharmacy 2019, 7(1), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7010019 - 7 Feb 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 6154
Abstract
Ensuring drug safety among the patients is the main domain of pharmacovigilance activities worldwide. A pharmacovigilance system was established in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2008. Research evidence reflects that the current system is lacking in active participation from patients, and also, [...] Read more.
Ensuring drug safety among the patients is the main domain of pharmacovigilance activities worldwide. A pharmacovigilance system was established in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in 2008. Research evidence reflects that the current system is lacking in active participation from patients, and also, the inadequate role of healthcare professionals is anticipated. In this context, it is pertinent to know the general public’s understandings and their patterns of safe use of medication, which are unexplored areas in Dubai, UAE. The current study aimed to explore the public views, attitudes, and experiences toward medication safety, and to explore key factors enhancing the safe use of medications among the public in Dubai. This study adopted a qualitative approach and face-to-face, 14 in-depth interviews with public individuals, selected purposively using the snowball sampling technique. The interviews were conducted in different places in Dubai recorded and transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed for data analysis. Reporting of adverse drug reaction was not well-known among all the participants. Public views towards safe use of medicines were limited to the side effects of the consumed medicines only, and to a lesser extent to the inappropriate indication and dosage. Most of the participants mentioned that gaining knowledge about the side effects of the prescribed drug was the main reason for reading the patient information leaflet. Quite a few participants have experienced side effects while consuming their medicines and they were unsure of how to deal with the situation. The current research also reflected the lack of proper communication between pharmacists and physicians in managing drug safety issues. Conclusively, the current research revealed gaps in public views regarding medication’s safety, which consequently may impact their attitudes during the course of medication use. Efforts need to be strengthened to enhance positive views and attitudes of the public towards medication safety and ADR reporting in the UAE. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Medication Safety: Role of Providers, Patients and Technology)
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14 pages, 215 KiB  
Article
Health Information Technology Use and Patient Safety: Study of Pharmacists in Nebraska
by Kimberly A. Galt, Kevin T. Fuji, Ted K. Kaufman and Shweta R. Shah
Pharmacy 2019, 7(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy7010007 - 10 Jan 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6343
Abstract
This study aimed to describe the impact of 13 different health information technologies (HITs) on patient safety across pharmacy practice settings from the viewpoint of the working pharmacist. A cross-sectional mixed methods survey of all licensed practicing pharmacists in 2008 in Nebraska ( [...] Read more.
This study aimed to describe the impact of 13 different health information technologies (HITs) on patient safety across pharmacy practice settings from the viewpoint of the working pharmacist. A cross-sectional mixed methods survey of all licensed practicing pharmacists in 2008 in Nebraska (n = 2195) was developed, pilot-tested and IRB approved. One-fourth responded (24.4%). A database of pharmacists’ responses to closed-ended quantitative questions and in vivo qualitative responses to open-ended questions was built. Qualitative data was coded and thematically analyzed, transformed to quantitative data and descriptive and relational statistics performed. One-third were involved in an error of any kind in the six months preceding the survey, and half observed an error or “near miss”. Most errors or near misses were attributed to workload. When asked specifically about the 13 HITs, these participants reported 3252 observations about the types of errors that were associated with each. These were reports about either error types reduced or eliminated by integration of HIT (n = 1908) or occurring in association with a specific technology’s use (n = 1344). Integration of HIT into pharmacy practice also introduced new error types such as excessive alert programming in the pharmacy computer systems clinical information support causing pharmacists to experience alert fatigue and ignore warnings or bar code scanners mismatching NDC codes of products resulting in wrong drug product identification. Continued vigilance is essential to identifying patient safety issues and implementing safety strategies specific to each HIT. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Medication Safety: Role of Providers, Patients and Technology)
14 pages, 1194 KiB  
Article
Pharmacist-Initiated Medication Error-Reporting and Monitoring Programme in a Developing Country Scenario
by Sri Harsha Chalasani, Madhan Ramesh and Parthasarathi Gurumurthy
Pharmacy 2018, 6(4), 133; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy6040133 - 14 Dec 2018
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 14360
Abstract
Medication errors (MEs) often prelude guilt and fear in health care professionals (HCPs), thereby resulting in under-reporting and further compromising patient safety. To improve patient safety, we conducted a study on the implementation of a voluntary medication error-reporting and monitoring programme. The ME [...] Read more.
Medication errors (MEs) often prelude guilt and fear in health care professionals (HCPs), thereby resulting in under-reporting and further compromising patient safety. To improve patient safety, we conducted a study on the implementation of a voluntary medication error-reporting and monitoring programme. The ME reporting system was established using the principles based on prospective, voluntary, open, anonymous, and stand-alone surveillance in a tertiary care teaching hospital located in South India. A prospective observational study was carried out for three years and a voluntary Medication Error-reporting Form was developed to report medication errors MEs that had occurred in patients of either sex were included in the study, and the reporters were given the choice to remain anonymous. The analysis was carried out and discussed with HCPs to minimise the recurrence. A total of 1310 medication errors were reported among 20,256 hospitalised patients and the incidence was 6.4%. Common aetiologies were administration errors [501 (38.2%)], followed by prescribing and transcribing errors [363 (28%)]. Root-cause of these MEs were distractions, workload, and communications. Analgesics/antipyretics (19.4%) and antibiotics (15.7%) were the most commonly implicated classes of medications. A clinical pharmacist initiated non-punitive anonymous ME reporting system could improve patient safety. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Medication Safety: Role of Providers, Patients and Technology)
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14 pages, 715 KiB  
Article
Exploration of Nurses’ Knowledge, Attitudes, and Perceived Barriers towards Medication Error Reporting in a Tertiary Health Care Facility: A Qualitative Approach
by Eman Ali Dyab, Ramadan Mohamed Elkalmi, Siti Halimah Bux and Shazia Qasim Jamshed
Pharmacy 2018, 6(4), 120; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy6040120 - 5 Nov 2018
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 9894
Abstract
Medication error reporting (MER) is an effective way used to identify the causes of Medication Errors (MEs) and to prevent repeating them in future. The underreporting of MEs is a challenge generally in all MER systems. The current research aimed to explore nurses’ [...] Read more.
Medication error reporting (MER) is an effective way used to identify the causes of Medication Errors (MEs) and to prevent repeating them in future. The underreporting of MEs is a challenge generally in all MER systems. The current research aimed to explore nurses’ knowledge on MER by determining their attitudes towards reporting and studying the implicated barriers and facilitators. A total of 23 nurses were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. The saturation point was attained after 21 interviews. All the interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim, and analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Four major themes and 17 sub-themes were identified. Almost all the interviewees were aware about the existence of the MER system. They showed a positive attitude towards MER. The main barriers for MER were the impacts of time and workload, fear of investigation, impacts on the job, and negative reactions from the person in charge. The nurses were knowledgeable about MER but there was uncertainty towards reporting harmless MEs, thus indicating the need for an educational program to highlight the benefits of near-miss reporting. To improve participation strategies, a blameless reporting culture, reporting anonymously, and a simplified MER process should be considered. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Medication Safety: Role of Providers, Patients and Technology)
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Review

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24 pages, 305 KiB  
Review
Systematic Review of Efficacy and Safety of Newer Antidiabetic Drugs Approved from 2013 to 2017 in Controlling HbA1c in Diabetes Patients
by Sivanandy Palanisamy, Emily Lau Hie Yien, Ling Wen Shi, Low Yi Si, See Hui Qi, Laura Soon Cheau Ling, Teng Wai Lun and Yap Nee Chen
Pharmacy 2018, 6(3), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy6030057 - 27 Jun 2018
Cited by 23 | Viewed by 6597
Abstract
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is the most common form of diabetes mellitus and accounts for about 95% of all diabetes cases. Many newer oral as well as parenteral antidiabetic drugs have been introduced in to the market in recent years to control [...] Read more.
Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is the most common form of diabetes mellitus and accounts for about 95% of all diabetes cases. Many newer oral as well as parenteral antidiabetic drugs have been introduced in to the market in recent years to control hyperglycemic conditions in diabetes patients and many of these drugs produce potential side effects in diabetes patients. Hence, this systematic review was aimed to analyze and compare the efficacy and safety of oral antidiabetic agents in controlling HbA1c in T2DM patients, that were approved by the United States-Food and Drug Administration (US-FDA) from 2013 to 2017. All randomized controlled, double-blind trials published in English during the search period involving the newer antidiabetic agents were selected. In the outcome assessment comparison, semaglutide demonstrated the highest efficacy in lowering HbA1c, with a 1.6% reduction (p < 0.0001) when given at a dose of 1.0 mg. The safety profile of all the agents as compared to placebo or control were similar, with no or slight increase in the occurrence of adverse events (AEs) but no fatal reaction was reported. The most common AEs of all the antidiabetic agents were gastrointestinal in nature, with several cases of hypoglycemic events. However, among all these agents, semaglutide seems to be the most efficacious drug to improve glycemic control in terms of HbA1c. Alogliptin has the least overall frequency of AEs compared to other treatment groups. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Medication Safety: Role of Providers, Patients and Technology)
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