An-Najah Staff

Objectives: To decide on whether tablet splitting scenarios represent prescribing error situations or not by a panel of expert judges composed of thirty members and to analyze splitting of tablets orders in two teaching hospitals.
Methods: A questionnaire containing scenarios was submitted to each member of the panel of expert judges, and a two round Delphi technique was followed to obtain consensus. Based on the Delphi rounds results, 902 and 316 medication orders were screened from Services hospital and Punjab Institute of Cardiology, respectively.

Results: Two scenarios were considered prescribing error situations, one was excluded and one was partially agreed upon. In Services Hospital 42 errors were detected, out of which 20 errors involved splitting of modified release tablets while 22 errors involved splitting of coated tablets. In Punjab Institute of Cardiology 41 errors were detected, out of which 23 errors involved splitting of modified release tablets while 18 errors involved splitting of coated tablets.
Conclusion: It was concluded that programs are needed to increase the current awareness regarding unsuitability of splitting all tablet types.

Objective: To explore prescribing errors occurring in psychiatry department in a public hospital.
Design: Prospective observational method was followed to screen, identify and classify prescribing errors in fifteen inpatient profiles in psychiatry department.
Place & duration of study: The study was conducted for a period of fifteen days at psychiatry department in a hospital in Lahore, Pakistan from September 1st to September 15th 2006.
Subjects & Methods: Prospective study of 15 inpatient cases randomly selected from psychiatry department.
Results: During the study, 84 medications were prescribed. The mean of medications prescribed per case was 5.6. The number of prescribing errors identified was 33 and the percentage of prescribing errors was 39.28%.
Conclusion: All prescribing errors identified can be prevented.