Medication Errors: Types and Causes

Medication Errors

• Definition: Any error that occurs during the medication use process, including prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, and administering medications
• Types of medication errors:
  • Prescribing errors: incorrect medication, dose, or frequency
  • Transcribing errors: incorrect interpretation of prescription
  • Dispensing errors: incorrect medication or quantity dispensed
  • Administering errors: incorrect administration of medication
• Causes of medication errors:
  • Human factors: fatigue, distractions, and lack of knowledge
  • Systemic factors: inadequate communication, inadequate training, and inadequate policies
• Consequences of medication errors:
  • Patient harm: injury or death
  • Economic burden: increased healthcare costs
  • Legal implications: liability and litigation

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs)

• Definition: Harmful or unintended response to a medication
• Types of ADRs:
  • Allergic reactions: immune-mediated response
  • Idiosyncratic reactions: unpredictable response
  • Side effects: predictable and dose-dependent response
  • Toxic reactions: response to overdose or accumulation
• Causes of ADRs:
  • Pharmacogenetic factors: genetic variations affecting metabolism
  • Pharmacokinetic factors: altered drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion
  • Pharmacodynamic factors: altered drug action or response
• Consequences of ADRs:
  • Patient harm: injury or death
  • Economic burden: increased healthcare costs
  • Legal implications: liability and litigation

Therapeutic Incompatibilities

• Definition: Incompatibility between two or more medications or between a medication and a patient's condition
• Types of therapeutic incompatibilities:
  • Drug-disease interactions: medication exacerbates underlying condition
  • Drug-drug interactions: medications interact to produce adverse effects
  • Drug-food interactions: medications interact with food or nutrients
• Causes of therapeutic incompatibilities:
  • Pharmacokinetic factors: altered drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion
  • Pharmacodynamic factors: altered drug action or response
• Consequences of therapeutic incompatibilities:
  • Patient harm: injury or death
  • Economic burden: increased healthcare costs
  • Legal implications: liability and litigation

Drug Interactions

• Definition: Interaction between two or more medications that alters their effects
• Types of drug interactions:
  • Pharmacokinetic interactions: altered drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion
  • Pharmacodynamic interactions: altered drug action or response
  • Synergistic interactions: medications enhance each other's effects
  • Antagonistic interactions: medications reduce each other's effects
• Causes of drug interactions:
  • Pharmacogenetic factors: genetic variations affecting metabolism
  • Pharmacokinetic factors: altered drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion
  • Pharmacodynamic factors: altered drug action or response
• Consequences of drug interactions:
  • Patient harm: injury or death
  • Economic burden: increased healthcare costs
  • Legal implications: liability and litigation

Non-Adherence

• Definition: Failure to take medications as prescribed
• Types of non-adherence:
  • Intentional non-adherence: patient chooses not to take medication
  • Unintentional non-adherence: patient forgets or is unable to take medication
• Causes of non-adherence:
  • Patient factors: lack of knowledge, lack of motivation, or lack of access
  • Healthcare provider factors: inadequate communication, inadequate education
  • Systemic factors: inadequate support, inadequate follow-up
• Consequences of non-adherence:
  • Patient harm: decreased efficacy, increased morbidity, and mortality
  • Economic burden: increased healthcare costs
  • Legal implications: liability and litigation

Medication Errors

• Medication errors occur during prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, and administering medications
• Types of medication errors include:
  • Prescribing errors (incorrect medication, dose, or frequency)
  • Transcribing errors (incorrect interpretation of prescription)
  • Dispensing errors (incorrect medication or quantity dispensed)
  • Administering errors (incorrect administration of medication)
• Causes of medication errors include:
  • Human factors (fatigue, distractions, lack of knowledge)
  • Systemic factors (inadequate communication, inadequate training, inadequate policies)
• Consequences of medication errors include:
  • Patient harm (injury or death)
  • Economic burden (increased healthcare costs)
  • Legal implications (liability and litigation)

Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs)

• ADRs are harmful or unintended responses to a medication
• Types of ADRs include:
  • Allergic reactions (immune-mediated response)
  • Idiosyncratic reactions (unpredictable response)
  • Side effects (predictable and dose-dependent response)
  • Toxic reactions (response to overdose or accumulation)
• Causes of ADRs include:
  • Pharmacogenetic factors (genetic variations affecting metabolism)
  • Pharmacokinetic factors (altered drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion)
  • Pharmacodynamic factors (altered drug action or response)
• Consequences of ADRs include:
  • Patient harm (injury or death)
  • Economic burden (increased healthcare costs)
  • Legal implications (liability and litigation)

Therapeutic Incompatibilities

• Therapeutic incompatibilities occur when two or more medications or a medication and a patient's condition are incompatible
• Types of therapeutic incompatibilities include:
  • Drug-disease interactions (medication exacerbates underlying condition)
  • Drug-drug interactions (medications interact to produce adverse effects)
  • Drug-food interactions (medications interact with food or nutrients)
• Causes of therapeutic incompatibilities include:
  • Pharmacokinetic factors (altered drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion)
  • Pharmacodynamic factors (altered drug action or response)
• Consequences of therapeutic incompatibilities include:
  • Patient harm (injury or death)
  • Economic burden (increased healthcare costs)
  • Legal implications (liability and litigation)

Drug Interactions

• Drug interactions occur when two or more medications interact to alter their effects
• Types of drug interactions include:
  • Pharmacokinetic interactions (altered drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion)
  • Pharmacodynamic interactions (altered drug action or response)
  • Synergistic interactions (medications enhance each other's effects)
  • Antagonistic interactions (medications reduce each other's effects)
• Causes of drug interactions include:
  • Pharmacogenetic factors (genetic variations affecting metabolism)
  • Pharmacokinetic factors (altered drug absorption, distribution, metabolism, or excretion)
  • Pharmacodynamic factors (altered drug action or response)
• Consequences of drug interactions include:
  • Patient harm (injury or death)
  • Economic burden (increased healthcare costs)
  • Legal implications (liability and litigation)

Non-Adherence

• Non-adherence occurs when patients fail to take medications as prescribed
• Types of non-adherence include:
  • Intentional non-adherence (patient chooses not to take medication)
  • Unintentional non-adherence (patient forgets or is unable to take medication)
• Causes of non-adherence include:
  • Patient factors (lack of knowledge, lack of motivation, or lack of access)
  • Healthcare provider factors (inadequate communication, inadequate education)
  • Systemic factors (inadequate support, inadequate follow-up)
• Consequences of non-adherence include:
  • Patient harm (decreased efficacy, increased morbidity, and mortality)
  • Economic burden (increased healthcare costs)
  • Legal implications (liability and litigation)

Learn about the different types of medication errors, including prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, and administering errors, as well as their causes. Improve your knowledge of medication safety.