Author/Authors :
Alkhani, Salma King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center - Pharmacy Department, Saudi Arabia , Ahmed, Yusuf King Saud University - College of Pharmacy - Medication safety Research Chair, Saudi Arabia , Bin-Sabbar, Nora King Saud University - College of Pharmacy - Medication safety Research Chair, Saudi Arabia , Almogirah, Hailah King Saud University - College of Pharmacy - Medication safety Research Chair, Saudi Arabia , Alturki, Alanoud King Saud University - College of Pharmacy - Medication safety Research Chair, Saudi Arabia , Albanyan, Haifa King Saud University - College of Pharmacy - Medication safety Research Chair, Saudi Arabia , Adam, Mansour King Saud University - College of Pharmacy - Medication safety Research Chair, Saudi Arabia , Saleem, Fahad University Sains Malaysia - School Of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Malaysia , Aljadhey, Hisham King Saud University - College of Pharmacy - Medication safety Research Chair, Saudi Arabia , Hassali, Mohamed Azmi University Sains Malaysia - School Of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Malaysia , Vaida, Allen J. Institute for Safe Medication Practices, USA
Abstract :
Background: Good medication labeling practices are imperative to ensure safe medication use. Non-adherence to labeling protocols is reported as one major source of medication errors. Objective: This study was intended to evaluate and compare adherence to labeling guidelines for dispensed medications among the hospitals of the five different health sectors in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional analysis was conducted among 14 public hospitals in the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Labeling guidelines issued by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices were used as a standard assessment tool. A total of 218 medication labels were collected and evaluated for labeling adequacy. Descriptive statistics were used to elaborate the study findings. All analyses were performed with Microsoft Access. Results: The study showed a substantial rate of adherence to the labeling guidelines. In terms of the established criteria, community and mail orders were reported to adhere strongly (90.5%), whereas injectables adhered least to the labeling guidelines. The labeling format, contents of the label, instructions on the labels, abbreviations used on the labels and drug names were also consistent with the guidelines (80.0%, 84.0%, 88.0%, 97.7% and 85.5%, respectively). Organizations
