Analysis of Aspirin-related Medication Errors in the Elderly of China / 医药导报

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the incidence and causes of medication errors(MEs)related to aspirin in the eld-erly(≥60 years old)of China,to provide data for targeted precautions,and to promote medication safety in the elderly.Methods Reports about aspirin-related MEs in the elderly were extracted from the National Monitoring Network for Clinical Safe Drug Medication from September 22,2012 to September 22,2022.The severity of errors,content of errors,where errors were made,the personnel who made these errors,and causes of errors were analyzed retrospectively and statistically.Results A total of 386 MEs reports were extracted,235 males and 151 females,with a median age of 70(60-98)years old.Regarding the severity of MEs,errors of class B were dominating(314 cases,81.35%).As for the severe MEs(9 cases,2.33%),5 cases of ME were as-sociated with bleeding.There are four patients suffering from gastrointestinal bleeding:one patient took aspirin three times a day,one patient broke off enteric-coated tablets,one patient took aspirin as acarbose mistakenly,one patient took aspirin with Xuesai-tong for long time.One patient had urinary urgency,but did not seek medical attention in time,then developed into visible hema-turia.Two patients missed taking aspirin led to stent thrombosis.One patient suffered from diarrhea after overdosing on 29 pills of aspirin by mistake.One patient with hyperuricemia had gout after taking aspirin.Among these 386 MEs,224(58.03%)cases were triggered by physicians,the first three error factors were frequency(multiple times a day),dosage(the dosage of enteric-coated tablets is not the whole tablet),and variety.Most of these MEs were due to a lack of knowledge or training,and fatigue.Regarding the MEs caused by pharmacists(87 cases,22.54%).Pharmacists identified 274 cases(70.98%)of errors.Conclusion When it comes to aspirin-related MEs,it ought to be noticed that the drug usage and dosage,drug interaction,and selection of drug varieties when combining with other diseases(such as atrial fibrillation and hyperuricemia).It is recommended that information construction be fortified to decrease the ME of the prescription link,and the clinicians be better informed of rational drug use.At the same time,patient medication education should be improved.