Priorities in the Prevention Strategies for Medication Error Using the Analytical Hierarchy Process Method

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality and Safety
• Clinical Pharmacology
• Health Policy

Background:

• Medication errors are preventable and significantly impact patient safety and care quality.
• Effective strategies are needed to minimize medication errors in clinical settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prioritize strategies for preventing medication errors using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP).
• To provide evidence-based recommendations for developing patient safety policies.

Main Methods:

• Employed the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with a three-stage hierarchy: goal, criteria, and alternatives.
• Utilized pairwise comparisons from ten patient safety and clinical pharmacology experts.
• Applied the eigenvector method to aggregate expert judgments and determine criterion and alternative weights.

Main Results:

• System improvement in reporting emerged as the most preferred decision criterion.
• Healthcare institution counterplans were the highest-ranked preventive strategy.
• Cultural shifts towards a safety culture and robust reporting systems were also prioritized.

Conclusions:

• The AHP method effectively prioritized strategies for medication error prevention.
• Findings can inform policymakers in developing evidence-based patient safety policies.
• Prioritization highlights the importance of systemic and cultural improvements in reducing medication errors.