Medication errors: the role of the patient

Area of Science:

• Pharmacovigilance
• Patient Safety
• Health Communication

Background:

• Patients and carers are primary observers of medication-related issues, often struggling to differentiate medication errors from adverse drug reactions or side effects.
• Understanding patient perceptions of adverse drug effects is limited, though research links their cognitive models to illness perception.
• Patient attributions of adverse drug reactions are influenced by prior experiences and education, with reported reactions generally accurate but often underreported due to severity or fear of healthcare provider response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore patient understanding and reporting of medication-related problems.
• To investigate how patients attribute adverse drug effects and the factors influencing their reporting behavior.
• To inform healthcare professionals on effectively eliciting patient concerns regarding medications.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and synthesis of existing research on patient perception and reporting of medication errors and adverse drug reactions.
• Analysis of factors influencing patient attributions, including experience, education, and fear of healthcare provider reactions.
• Consideration of proposed methods like symptom checklists for eliciting patient reports.

Main Results:

• Patients' reports of adverse drug reactions are generally accurate but may be selective, with severe issues more likely to be reported.
• Fear of healthcare provider reactions can deter patients from reporting perceived medication problems.
• Patients desire information about adverse drug effects, necessitating careful judgment by professionals on information delivery.

Conclusions:

• Healthcare professionals need to actively inquire about patient concerns regarding medicines to effectively identify potential medication errors.
• Current practices, such as an overemphasis on adherence, may obscure medication errors; patient-centered communication is crucial.
• Adopting strategies recommended by guidelines, like asking patients about concerns, can improve the detection of medication errors and enhance patient safety.