Publication: FACTORS AND COSTS RELATED TO DUPLICATE MEDICATION ORDERS IN A PUBLIC HOSPITAL OUTPATIENT SPECIALIST CLINIC IN MALAYSIA
Date
2023
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International Medical University
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to determine the following: the rate of duplicate
medication orders among patients attending Outpatient Specialist Clinics in Hospital
Jerantut; the association between patient- and prescriber-related factors with
medication duplication; and finally, to quantify the cost related to the identified
duplication.
Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted among 570 patients attending
Outpatient Specialist Clinics in Hospital Jerantut. Two systems, namely Sistem
Maklumat Rekod Pesakit (SMRP) and Pharmacy Information System (PhIS) were
screened to retrieve patients’ demographic data and medication histories. Prescriptions
with overlapping duration were manually identified from each patient’s profile in the
PhIS and the costs for each duplicate medication order were calculated.
Results: Out of the 570 patients, 70 (12.3%) patients received duplicate medication
orders in Hospital Jerantut. From the multivariate analysis, the factors discovered to
be significantly associated with medication duplication among the study population
were age, gastrointestinal medications, and the number of prescriptions dispensed over
the year 2021. The total cost for duplications was RM970.86.
Conclusion: The rate and the cost associated with duplicate medication orders in
Hospital Jerantut were relatively low. This demonstrates that as an electronic system,
the PhIS system works sufficiently to reduce medication duplication. Hence, the
system should be continuously improved, and its utilisation expanded.
Description
Keywords
Hospitals, Public, Patients, Costs and Cost Analysis, Medicine, Multimorbidity, Chronic Disease