Analysis of Dispensing Errors Made by First-Year Pharmacy Students in a Virtual Dispensing Assessment

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Pharmacy Education

Background:

• Pharmacists play a vital role in medication supply and patient outcomes.
• Increased prescription medication use elevates the risk of dispensing errors, some with fatal consequences.
• Developing safe dispensing skills is crucial for pharmacy students to prevent errors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze dispensing errors made by first-year pharmacy students.
• To identify common error types and their potential severity.
• To inform curriculum development for improved dispensing education.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of a virtual dispensing assessment using MyDispense.
• Qualitative and quantitative analysis of student dispensing of four prescriptions.
• Categorization of errors including drug quantity, label directions, and ancillary labels.

Main Results:

• Dispensing errors varied by medication class.
• Incorrect label directions (route, formulation, dosing frequency) were most common.
• Errors ranged in potential severity from no harm to severe harm.

Conclusions:

• First-year pharmacy students made preventable dispensing errors.
• Targeted education on dispensing guides and practice environments can mitigate risks.
• Interventions should focus on common error types like incorrect label directions.