Table 1.
Numbers and percentages of ME cases based on the causes and processes of the therapeutic chain involved in the ME (Catalonia, 2019–2021).
| Cause of ME | Cases 2019 | Cases 2020 | Cases 2021 | Global Cases | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n = 632) | % | (n = 748) | % | (n = 579) | % | (n = 1959) | % | |
| Incorrect, incomplete, illegible, or verbal medical prescription | 239 | 37.8 | 337 | 45.1 | 234 | 40.4 | 810 | 41.3 |
| Incorrect prescribed dosage | 97 | 15.3 | 81 | 10.8 | 65 | 11.2 | 243 | 12.4 |
| Therapeutic duplication | 40 | 9.8 | 58 | 6.8 | 59 | 5.2 | 157 | 8.0 |
| Incorrect administration | 46 | 7.3 | 55 | 7.4 | 47 | 8.1 | 148 | 7.6 |
| Lack of information | 62 | 6.3 | 51 | 7.8 | 30 | 10.2 | 143 | 7.3 |
| Patient non-compliance | 19 | 4.9 | 34 | 3.3 | 27 | 3.3 | 80 | 4.1 |
| Similarity of packaging | 31 | 3.5 | 25 | 2.5 | 19 | 3.3 | 75 | 3.8 |
| Incorrect dispensing | 22 | 3.2 | 19 | 3.1 | 19 | 2.8 | 60 | 3.1 |
| Other causes | 20 | 3.2 | 23 | 2.1 | 16 | 3.6 | 59 | 3.0 |
| Similar names | 20 | 3.0 | 16 | 4.5 | 21 | 4.7 | 57 | 2.9 |
| System error (structure, process, or organization) | 12 | 2.8 | 28 | 1.3 | 15 | 3.8 | 55 | 2.8 |
| Incorrect prescription verification | 18 | 1.9 | 10 | 3.7 | 22 | 2.6 | 50 | 2.6 |
| Incorrect preparation | 5 | 0.8 | 8 | 1.1 | 4 | 0.7 | 17 | 0.9 |
| Incorrect or misleading labelling | 1 | 0.2 | 3 | 0.4 | 1 | 0.2 | 5 | 0.3 |