The Analysis of Risks Associated with Medication Use in Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital for the Past 5 Years

Abstract

Background: Medication errors and adverse drug events are indicators of the effectiveness of the drug safety system. In 2018, a reporting system was developed by standardizing risk codes nationwide (National Reporting and Learning System: NRLS). The analysis of medication errors and adverse drug events reveals both the frequency and severity of issues, which helps improve the drug safety system.

Objective: To analyze quantitative data on medication errors and adverse drug events in order to compare preventable adverse drug events based on the Schumock and Thornton criteria and those that could be prevented by the system.

Method: A descriptive study was conducted by analyzing data on medication errors and adverse drug events from the hospital's risk reporting program during the period from October 2018 to September 2023, using percentage statistics.

Results: A total of 58,688 risk reports were identified, comprising 57,828 medication errors (98.53%) and 860 adverse drug events (1.47%). Most medication errors occurred in the pre-administration stage, with severity levels distributed as follows: Level B – 55,008 events (93.73%), Level C-D – 3,587 events (6.11%), and Level E-H – 93 events (0.16%). No fatal events (Level I) were reported. Regarding adverse drug events, five preventable cases, which could not be detected by the system, had significant impacts on patients, particularly resulting in repeated drug allergies across hospitals.

Conclusion: Most medication errors could be prevented by the system before reaching the patients. However, repeated drug allergies across hospitals still occur, indicating the need for further development of the system.