PHARMACISTS are being urged to slow down and "scan everything" to reduce the risk of dispensing errors.
A practice alert issued by indemnity insurer, Pharmaceutical Defence Limited (PDL), noted dispensing errors accounted for close to 60% of issues reported to date in 2020.
PDL reported that the most common types of dispensing errors were, "wrong drug supplied" and "wrong strength supplied of the prescribed drug".
PDL's Professional Officers said the most frequent causes of these errors stemmed from incorrect data entry of prescription details, incorrect selection of the wrong drug or strength in the dispensing software, and incorrect selection of the wrong drug or strength from the shelf.
Similar packaging, brand or drug names, were identified as factors associated with dispensing errors.
"PDL strongly urges all pharmacists and dispensing technicians to be aware of these areas of risk and to be consistent and vigilant in how they prepare prescriptions for supply," the alert said.
The insurer said pharmacists should "slow down, check carefully and always check the duplication" to avoid errors.
PDL said pharmacists should "scan everything and ensure you actually check that a product has scanned correctly", while also making sure they scan "every single box" when dispensing multiple packs of a medication.
Separating look alike, sound alike medicines within the dispensary was recommended to mitigate against potential errors.
Pharmacy owners and managers were also advised to schedule regular meetings involving all dispensary staff to discuss risk management and review any "near misses" or errors.
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