Healthcare Practitioners Malpractices and Medication Errors of Narcotics Dispensing and Handling in Multiregional Hospitals in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Saeed M Albaraki, Saleh I Aldakheel, Areej A Alnasser, Genan I Alomran and Saleh M Alamri

Healthcare errors and malpractices of pharmaceuticals are very serious issues in medicine and dramatically increase the mortality and morbidity. Narcotics prescribing, dispensing and handling are very restricted in Saudi Arabia and regulated by multiple legislations accredited by Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) and Saudi Ministry of Health. This pilot study investigated the malpractices of handling and dispensing narcotics as well as the medical errors in multiple hospitals for the first time. The major reported malpractices were missed signatures either by physicians or head nurses (45.97%), irregularities in the returned short dated and expired narcotics to pharmacy (17.74%) and the discarded amounts after dose administration (13.71%). Misuse of the remaining narcotic dose by the healthcare practitioners or by the patients was also a major finding of this study. Although reported malpractices causes no serious harm to patients, but still very essential to fulfill the requirements laid down in the narcotics dispensation forms and the recommended (SFDA) legislations. These malpractices if not corrected in time may affect the renewal of the accreditations of the hospitals. Expanded and detailed study is highly recommended to assess the extent of these malpractices in Saudi Arabia and to recommend any reforms and corrections.

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