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Assessment of look-alike, sound-alike and read-alike (Lasara) medicine – Errors in pharmacy

Zafar, Rubia and Raza, Muhammad Liaquat LU (2020) In Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan 30(4). p.425-428
Abstract

Objective: To estimate chances of potential look-alike, sound-alike and read-alike (LASARA) errors in secondary-care hospital pharmacies through prescriptions screening. Design: Cross-sectional, prospective study. Place and duration of study: Al-Khidmat Hospital Pharmacy, Karachi, Pakistan from August to October, 2016. Methodology: Dispensed medicine data was collected from three pharmacies of a secondary-care hospital in Karachi over three months. Only inpatient and outpatient prescriptions issued by the hospital were included. All outside referrals (OSRs) prescriptions without hospital stamp were excluded. LASARA medicines list, available at hospital, was considered to compare five-paired drugs, dispensed to patients; and screening... (More)

Objective: To estimate chances of potential look-alike, sound-alike and read-alike (LASARA) errors in secondary-care hospital pharmacies through prescriptions screening. Design: Cross-sectional, prospective study. Place and duration of study: Al-Khidmat Hospital Pharmacy, Karachi, Pakistan from August to October, 2016. Methodology: Dispensed medicine data was collected from three pharmacies of a secondary-care hospital in Karachi over three months. Only inpatient and outpatient prescriptions issued by the hospital were included. All outside referrals (OSRs) prescriptions without hospital stamp were excluded. LASARA medicines list, available at hospital, was considered to compare five-paired drugs, dispensed to patients; and screening alerts against these paired medicines were noted. Results: Out of 1,000 monitored prescriptions, 200 prescriptions were shortlisted for 22 considered medicines. Total of 38 LASARA errors were reported in 90 days. Overall LASARA results were 38, 19% errors per 200 prescriptions. Highest dispensed error frequency was observed for injection™ lasix (14 errors, 36.8%), followed by tab. thyroxin (4 errors, 10.5%), injection avil™ (3 errors, 7.8%), Injection Calcium Gluconate (2 errors, 5.2%), and Tablet Lanoxin™ (2 errors, 5.2%). Conclusion: LASARA errors during medicine dispensing on prescription at hospital pharmacies can be used as a tool to improve patient safety and pharmacist efficacy.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Dispensing, Drugs, Errors, Look Alike, Read Alike, Sound Alike
in
Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan
volume
30
issue
4
pages
4 pages
publisher
COLL PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS PAKISTAN
external identifiers
  • pmid:32513366
  • scopus:85086251366
ISSN
1022-386X
DOI
10.29271/jcpsp.2020.4.425
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
6624f953-14c2-4346-86e9-daa60e9280d9
date added to LUP
2021-01-11 16:31:32
date last changed
2024-04-03 21:49:13
@article{6624f953-14c2-4346-86e9-daa60e9280d9,
  abstract     = {{<p>Objective: To estimate chances of potential look-alike, sound-alike and read-alike (LASARA) errors in secondary-care hospital pharmacies through prescriptions screening. Design: Cross-sectional, prospective study. Place and duration of study: Al-Khidmat Hospital Pharmacy, Karachi, Pakistan from August to October, 2016. Methodology: Dispensed medicine data was collected from three pharmacies of a secondary-care hospital in Karachi over three months. Only inpatient and outpatient prescriptions issued by the hospital were included. All outside referrals (OSRs) prescriptions without hospital stamp were excluded. LASARA medicines list, available at hospital, was considered to compare five-paired drugs, dispensed to patients; and screening alerts against these paired medicines were noted. Results: Out of 1,000 monitored prescriptions, 200 prescriptions were shortlisted for 22 considered medicines. Total of 38 LASARA errors were reported in 90 days. Overall LASARA results were 38, 19% errors per 200 prescriptions. Highest dispensed error frequency was observed for injection™ lasix (14 errors, 36.8%), followed by tab. thyroxin (4 errors, 10.5%), injection avil™ (3 errors, 7.8%), Injection Calcium Gluconate (2 errors, 5.2%), and Tablet Lanoxin™ (2 errors, 5.2%). Conclusion: LASARA errors during medicine dispensing on prescription at hospital pharmacies can be used as a tool to improve patient safety and pharmacist efficacy.</p>}},
  author       = {{Zafar, Rubia and Raza, Muhammad Liaquat}},
  issn         = {{1022-386X}},
  keywords     = {{Dispensing; Drugs; Errors; Look Alike; Read Alike; Sound Alike}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{425--428}},
  publisher    = {{COLL PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS PAKISTAN}},
  series       = {{Journal of the College of Physicians and Surgeons Pakistan}},
  title        = {{Assessment of look-alike, sound-alike and read-alike (Lasara) medicine – Errors in pharmacy}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.29271/jcpsp.2020.4.425}},
  doi          = {{10.29271/jcpsp.2020.4.425}},
  volume       = {{30}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}