RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Omitted medications: a continuing problem
JF Clinical Medicine
JO Clin Med
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP 12
OP 14
DO 10.7861/clinmedicine.15-1-12
VO 15
IS 1
A1 Saurabh Shandilya
A1 Khwaja Nizamuddin
A1 Mohammad Waqar Faisal
A1 Sajjad Noor
A1 Sam Abraham
YR 2015
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/15/1/12.abstract
AB Failure to provide prescribed medicines to inpatients has the potential to cause significant patient harm, to delay the resolution of the pathology and to increase the length of hospital stay. We measured the frequency at which medications were omitted in the non-admitting medical wards of a district general hospital, using two point-prevalence studies spaced one month apart. The results showed that the omission of prescribed medications remains a problem throughout the hospital stay of the patient. Among the charts studied, 73% had omitted medications. The most common cause of omission was patients’ refusal (47.22%), followed by patients’ inability to take the medicine (22.7%). Medication unavailability came third (17.04%). Increased communication between medical, nursing and pharmacy staff, along with regular review of the patients by the patient team, with a view of reducing medication omission will go a long way in reducing the incidence of this problem.