Table 4.
Dispensing error contributed factors
| Reference | 20 | 26 | 21 | 25 | 33 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Work environment | |||||
| High workload | 70 | 29 | 141 | 22 | X |
| Low staffing | 38 | 14 | 74 | 13 | X |
| Distraction/interruption | 30 | 11 | 14 | X | |
| Noise | 2 | ||||
| Protocols not followed | 11 | 2 | |||
| Dispensary design | 4 | ||||
| Lone worker | 9 | 10 | |||
| Time of day | 29 | X | |||
| Product | |||||
| Look-alike/sound-alike drug name | 37 | 30 | 233 | 9 | |
| Similarity packaging | 3 | ||||
| Poor labeling by manufacturer | 2 | ||||
| Team | |||||
| Inexperienced staff | 73 | 26 | 114 | 7 | X |
| Communication problem | 6 | 43 | 1 | ||
| Loss of concentration/fatigue | 2 | 12 | |||
| Low moral | 2 | ||||
| Urgent deadline/hurrying through tasks | 22 | 4 | 49 | 12 | X |
| Task | |||||
| Complex prescription | 6 | 2 | |||
| Illegible handwriting | 4 | X | |||
| Careless checking | 14 | ||||
| Unfamiliarity with task | 9 | 5 | |||
| Patient demanding/aggression | 5 | ||||
Notes:
The numbers denote how many times these contributing factors had been reported in the study. X denotes a mention of contributing factors but without numbers of reported incidents.