Pharmacy-driven refill bag authentication minimizes dispensing error

Main Article Content

Hussain T. Bakhsh, Rahaf H. Bahamdan, Razan H. Alsulami, Wesal H. Toweirqie, Mohammed A. Batook, Wiam Khaled Alahmadi Renad Ayed Alqarni Amirah Khalid Alnahdi

Keywords

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Abstract

Dispensing errors often occurs even though double checks are performed in pharmacy settings. This study aims to evaluate the impact of implementing pharmacy-driven refill bag authentication before handling refilled medications.


Method: Descriptive prospective cohort study conducted for 5 months on patients who refill their medications at KAUH. Pharmacy students collected data by checking the refill bags prior to handling them with the patients.


Results:


The study results in reviewing 972 refill bags with an average number of dispensing errors of 9.36%. The implementation of pharmacy-driven refill bag authentication has demonstrated its efficacy in reducing dispensing errors during medication refill processes.


Conclusion:


This study provides promising evidence for the use of pharmacy-driven refill bag authentication as a strategy for minimizing dispensing errors, as it provides an additional layer of verification and authentication to ensure that the correct medication is dispensed to each patient without causing any harm

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