TABLE 3.
Outcomes
| Baseline (%) | Postintervention (%) | Uncorrected | Corrected for study ward a | Corrected for ward type b | Corrected for study ward a nested within ward type b | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All wards (n = 12) | |||||||
| Total number of prescriptions | 2978 | 2438 | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | |
| Total number of patients | 321 | 201 | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | |
| Number of prescriptions with ≥1 prescribing errors | IRR (95% CI) | 456 (15.3) | 357 (14.6) | 0.96 (0.83–1.10) | 0.95 (0.68–1.31) | 0.94 (0.82–1.08) | 0.95 (0.68–1.31) |
| Number of prescriptions with ≥1 clinically relevant prescription error c | IRR (95% CI) | 144 (4.8) | 139 (5.7) | 1.18 (0.93–1.49) | 1.18 (0.89–1.56) | 1.15 (0.78–1.68) | 1.18 (0.89–1.56) |
| Number of prescriptions with ≥1 clinically nonrelevant prescription error d | IRR (95% CI) | 312 (10.5) | 218 (8.9) | 0.85 (0.72–1.02) | 0.84 (0.54–1.30) | 0.83 (0.78–0.89) | 0.84 (0.54–1.30) |
| Total number of omitted prescriptions | 145 | 99 | |||||
| Number of patients with ≥1 prescription error | OR (95% CI) | 176 (54.8) | 138 (68.7) | 1.81 (1.25–2.61) | 1.68 (0.94–2.99) | 1.80 (1.10–2.94) | 1.68 (0.94–2.99) |
| Number of patients with ≥1 drug omission | OR (95% CI) | 105 (32.7) | 55 (27.4) | 0.78 (0.53–1.14) | 0.76 (0.39–1.50) | 0.76 (0.54–1.06) | 0.76 (0.39–1.50) |
| Medical wards (n = 5) | |||||||
| Total number of prescriptions | 1,368 | 974 | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | |
| Total number of patients | 153 | 81 | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | ‐ | |
| Number of prescriptions with at ≥1 prescribing errors | IRR (95% CI) | 172 (12.6) | 115 (11.8) | 0.94 (0.74–1.19) | 0.94 (0.63–1.40) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of prescriptions with ≥1 clinically relevant prescription error c | IRR (95% CI) | 65 (4.8) | 58 (6.0) | 1.25 (0.88–1.79) | 1.30 (1.04–1.61) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of prescriptions with ≥1 clinically nonrelevant prescription error d | IRR (95% CI) | 107 (7.8) | 57 (5.9) | 0.75 (0.54–1.03) | 0.73 (0.35–1.50) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of omitted prescriptions | 74 | 43 | 1.08 (0.75–1.58) | 1.06 (0.73–1.54) | ‐ | ‐ | |
| Number of patients with a prescription error | OR (95% CI) | 85 (55.6) | 55 (67.9) | 1.69 (0.96–2.98) | 1.36 (0.91–2.01) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of patients with a drug omission | OR (95% CI) | 50 (32.7) | 22 (27.2) | 0.77 (0.42–1.39) | 0.70 (0.45–1.08) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Surgical wards (n = 5) | |||||||
| Total number of prescriptions | 1,110 | 1,052 | |||||
| Total number of patients | 103 | 79 | |||||
| Number of prescriptions with at ≥1 prescribing errors | IRR (95% CI) | 195 (17.6) | 152 (14.4) | 0.82(0.67–1.02) | 0.79 (0.48–1.31) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of prescriptions with ≥1 clinically relevant prescription error c | IRR (95% CI) | 63 (5.7) | 48 (4.6) | 0.80 (0.55–1.17) | 0.79 (0.54–1.17) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of prescriptions with ≥1 clinically nonrelevant prescription error d | IRR (95% CI) | 132 (11.9) | 104 (9.9) | 0.83 (0.64–1.08) | 0.80 (0.44–1.45) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of omitted prescriptions | 50 | 27 | 0.71 (0.45–1.14) | 0.79 (0.48–1.31) | ‐ | ‐ | |
| Number of patients with ≥1 prescription error | OR (95% CI) | 67 | 53 | 1.10 (0.59–2.04) | 1.89 (1.11–3.23) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of patients with ≥1 drug omission | OR (95% CI) | 35 (34.0) | 18 (22.8) | 0.57 (0.29–1.15) | 0.59 (0.25–1.39) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Mixed wards (n = 2) | |||||||
| Total number of prescriptions | 500 | 412 | |||||
| Total number of patients | 65 | 41 | |||||
| Number of prescriptions with at ≥1 prescribing errors | IRR (95% CI) | 89 (17.8) | 90 (21.8) | 1.23 (0.92–1.65) | 1.22 (0.54–2.75) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of prescriptions with ≥1 clinically relevant prescription error c | IRR (95% CI) | 16 (3.2) | 33 (8.0) | 2.50 (1.38–4.55) | 2.26 (1.28–3.99) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of prescriptions with ≥1 clinically nonrelevant prescription error d | IRR (95% CI) | 73 (14.6) | 57 (13.8) | 0.95 (0.67–1.34) | 0.98 (0.37–2.62) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of omitted prescriptions | 21 | 29 | |||||
| Number of patients with ≥1 prescription error | OR (95% CI) | 24 (36.9) | 30 (73.2) | 4.66 (1.98–11.0) | 0.64 (0.30–1.38) | ‐ | ‐ |
| Number of patients with ≥1 drug omission | OR (95% CI) | 20 (30.8) | 15 (36.6) | 1.30 (0.57–2.96) | 1.35 (0.10–17.4) | ‐ | ‐ |
a
Internal medicine, neurology, pulmonary medicine, cardiology, gastroenterology disorders, vascular surgery, urology, gastrointestinal surgery, otolaryngology, trauma surgery, acute admission and paediatrics.
b
Medical, surgical or mixed.
c
Clinically relevant errors (NCC MERP category C, D and E).
d
Clinically nonrelevant errors (NCC MERP category B).
CI, confidence interval; IRR, incidence rate ratio; OR, odds ratio.