Keeping patients safe through medication review and management in the community

There are numerous publications on inpatient medication errors. However, little focus is given to medication errors that occur at home.

To describe and analyse the types of medication errors among community-dwelling patients following their discharge from an acute care hospital in Singapore.

This is a retrospective review of a 'good catch' reporting system from December 2018 to March 2022. Medication-related errors were extracted and analysed.

A total of 73 reported medication-related error incidents were reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 78 years old (SD=9). Most patients managed their medications independently at home (45.2%, n=33). The majority of medications involved were cardiovascular medications (51.5%, n=50). Incorrect dosing (41.1%, n=39) was the most common medication error reported. Poor understanding of medication usage (35.6%, n=26) and lack of awareness of medication changes after discharge (24.7%, n=18) were the primary causes of the errors.

This study's findings provide valuable insights into reducing medication errors at home. More attention must be given to post-discharge care, especially to preventable medication errors. Medication administration and management education can be emphasised using teach-back methods.