Pharmacists across Australia are set to partner with patients and doctors in a new national project to reduce patient medication errors that frequently occur during hospital stays.
By bringing pharmacists into the fold to collaborate with doctors and patients on an electronic medication and prescription model, the project team expects to see a marked reduction in the number of medication errors being made in hospitals, said Dr Jacinta Johnson, a University of South Australia pharmacist who will lead the $1.4 million Federal Government-funded project.
Dr Johnson is also responsible for driving research development across SA public hospital pharmacies.
She says the aim of the project is to improve the quality of care for people aged 65 years and older, who experience three times as many medication errors during hospital stays than younger patients.
“Medication errors are the most frequent and preventable mistakes being made in hospitals today,” Dr Johnson says.
“Across Australia, research shows two medication errors are made on admission to hospital for every three patients, and an error occurs 1 in 10 times a medication is administered. Most of these affect older patients, who are at much higher risk.”
The CARe-MED study will implement and evaluate a patient-centred, partnered medication charting and deprescribing model in hospitals using electronic medical records.
