Potential underreporting of medication errors in a psychiatric general hospital in Japan

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality and safety
• Medication safety
• Psychiatric hospital management

Background:

• Medication errors pose a significant risk in healthcare settings.
• Accurate reporting of medication errors is crucial for quality improvement.
• Underreporting of medication errors can mask systemic issues.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate patterns of medication error underreporting in a Japanese psychiatric general hospital.
• To analyze medication error data to identify potential underreporting.
• To determine if ward-specific medication error rates can indicate underreporting.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of all reported medication errors from 2010.
• Calculation of medication error rates per 1000 patient days.
• Comparison of medication error rates and near-miss reporting across different hospital wards.

Main Results:

• A total of 651 medication error incidents were recorded.
• The overall medication error rate was 2.14 per 1000 patient days.
• Variations in error rates between wards and a low proportion of intercepted near-misses suggested underreporting, particularly in acute care and dementia wards.

Conclusions:

• Ward-specific medication error rates and reporting patterns are valuable indicators of potential underreporting.
• Identifying wards with potential underreporting is essential for targeted interventions.
• Improving medication error reporting systems is critical for enhancing patient safety in psychiatric settings.