Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the incidence, types, and progress of medication error (ME) reporting.
Methods: An applied research study analysis of real-world data extracted from seven consecutive ME reports over 30 months between January 2022 and April 2024 at Ibn Sina College Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The reporting system adhered to the essential safety requirements of medication management set by the Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions. The primary outcomes were ME reporting incidence, types, categories, and reporters.
Results: Among 34,616 prescriptions, 1,557 MEs were reported (4.5%). ME reporting progressed significantly, rising from 2.8% to 7.1% (r = 0.79, p-value = 0.035). System error reporting showed a marked increase from 0% to 68.7% (r = 0.809, p-value = 0.028), while prescribing error reporting decreased significantly from 59.8% to 19.1% (r = -0.78, p-value = 0.040). Non-significant reductions were observed in dispensing errors (32.6% to 9.5%) and administration errors (8% to 2.8%). Category B errors were the most frequently reported (62.2%), followed by category A (36.7%), which progressed from 2.9% to 43.9%. Reporting was predominantly led by pharmacists (46.6%) and nurses (48.4%). Although physician reporting remained low (5.1%), it increased from 1.4% to 8.5% during the study period.
Conclusions: ME reporting demonstrated significant improvement over time, with an increase in the early identification of potential errors. System errors emerged as the most frequently reported type, while pre scribing errors, although common, saw reduced reporting. Physicians remained the least active reporters compared to pharmacists and nurses. Further research is warranted to investigate physician reporting barriers and promote safer prescribing practices.

Key words: Patient safety, medication error, essential safety requirements, Saudi Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions, Saudi Arabia