Assessment of Knowledge and Attitudes on Prescription Errors among Pharmacists in Selected Hospitals and Community Pharmacies in Galle Municipal Area.

Abstract

Background: Prescription errors are defined as a failure in the prescription writing process that gives wrong instructions to patients. Pharmacists are ones of responsible professionals for detecting prescription errors and taking appropriate actions to prevent patient harm. The knowledge and attitudes of pharmacists are imperative to enhance patient safety by preventing prescription errors. Objective: To evaluate the knowledge and attitudes of pharmacists regarding prescription errors in hospitals and community settings within the Galle municipal area Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 60 pharmacists; 30 pharmacists from the outdoor pharmacy department and 30 registered community pharmacists. Data were gathered through a self-administrated and pre-tested questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of socio-demographic data, knowledge, and attitudes of the pharmacists. Pharmacists’ knowledge was assessed using a mock prescription and two questions. One mark was given to each identified error and correct answer. The respondents were asked 7 questions regarding the attitudes. The variable was recorded into two, giving 0 marks for responses ‘strongly disagree’, ‘disagree’, ‘neutral’ and 1 for responses ‘agree’, or ‘strongly agree’. Data were analysed using SPSS version 25.0. Results: The mean±SD age of the respondents was 37.4±7.6 years, 73.3% were women. The qualifications of the pharmacists are Degree (8.3%), Diploma (48.3%) and certificate of proficiency (43.3%). The mean score of total knowledge of hospital and community pharmacists were 13.0±1.7 and 13.3±2.3, respectively out of 19 marks. The mean score of total attitudes of hospital pharmacists was 5.9±1.1 and score of community pharmacists was 5.6±1.1. The attitudes among pharmacists in selected hospitals and community pharmacies were significantly influenced by age (p=0.018). The knowledge among pharmacists was not significantly associated with socio demographic factors (age, sex, setting, educational qualification). Conclusions: The knowledge of prescription errors is approximately same level among hospital and community pharmacists. It was evident that pharmacists needed more knowledge and training in detection of prescription errors. It is recommended to organize educational programs on prescription errors.