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Medication ErrorsNCT00256568

Outpatient Prescription Errors: Detection, Analysis, and Impact on Safety

An observational study of Medication Errors, run by University of Vermont at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to better understand outpatient prescribing errors through clinic and pharmacy-based error reporting systems. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Medication Errors
What is being tested?
reporting system
How many people
103 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Sep 2003to Aug 2008
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: Primary Care Practices

Who may be able to join

  • Employed in a physician's office or community pharmacy

Who cannot join

  • Not employed in a physician's office or community pharmacy

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Vermont, Division of General Internal Medicine

    Burlington, Vermont, 05401

Other trials in United States

About this study

The purpose of this study is to better understand outpatient prescribing errors through clinic and pharmacy-based error reporting systems.

Read the detailed description

Medication errors cause substantial morbidity and mortality in the United States. However, relatively little is known about medication errors in the outpatient setting. The broad goal of this proposal is to improve outpatient safety. Specifically, this research plan promotes the understanding of the causes of outpatient prescription errors. The specific aims of this project are:

  1. To develop and evaluate a novel reporting system in physicians' offices for detecting prescription errors
  2. To develop and evaluate a novel improvement system in community pharmacies to increase prescription error reporting by pharmacists
  3. To analyze reports of outpatient prescription errors and understand their root causes

To achieve these specific aims, statewide research will be conducted utilizing qualitative and quantitative methods including root cause analysis, failure mode and effects analysis, and surveys. This research plan will promote patient safety by furthering the understanding of the causes of outpatient prescription errors in all outpatient populations, including rural, women, children, elderly, low income, and the chronically ill.

Being tested
reporting system
Keywords
Medical Errors, Medication Errors, Prescriptions, Drug, Pharmacies, Ambulatory Care Facilities

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • reporting systemBehavioural

    Nurses and office staff were asked to report all communications with community pharmacists regarding prescription problems

Study groups in NCT00256568
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Primary Care PracticesOne hundred and three prescribers, managers, nurses and office staff at seven primary care practices in Vermont
Receives: Behavioral: reporting system

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted21 Nov 2005 (estimated)
  2. Study startSep 2003
  3. Study completionAug 2008

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Cohort
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
103 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00256568
Sponsor's protocol ID
K08HS013891
Status last verified
Dec 2011
First submitted
17 Nov 2005
Last updated
15 Dec 2011
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Kennedy AG, Littenberg B. Medication error reporting by community pharmacists in Vermont. J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2004 Jul-Aug;44(4):434-8. doi: 10.1331/1544345041475724.

    PubMed 15372863
  • Kennedy AG, Littenberg B, Vezina LC. Vioxx-Viagra confusion. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2002 Nov 1;59(21):2112. doi: 10.1093/ajhp/59.21.2112a. No abstract available.

    PubMed 12434730
  • Kennedy AG, Littenberg B, Senders JW. Using nurses and office staff to report prescribing errors in primary care. Int J Qual Health Care. 2008 Aug;20(4):238-45. doi: 10.1093/intqhc/mzn015. Epub 2008 Apr 22.

    PubMed 18430748

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Medication Errors, run by University of Vermont at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 15 Dec 2011. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00256568, which also lists 3 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 15 Dec 2011.

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