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)