Get Near Miss Error Log

Prevented dispensing errors or 'near misses', are errors detected by the final accuracy checker before the patient or representative receives the medications - a prevented error causes no harm to the patient[1].

ing to the Institute of Medicine, a near miss is “an act of commission or omission that could have harmed the patient but did not cause harm as a result of chance, prevention, or mitigation” (1). “An error caught before reaching the patient” is another definition (3).

An example is choosing the incorrect diluent to reconstitute. Incorrect strength may potentially occur at many points in the medication process. It usually occurs due to human error when similar bottles or syringes with the incorrect strength is selected.

Background and importance Errors in medication dispensing have potential to harm patients. Up to 2.7% of dispensed medications include errors, although fewer 'near miss' data exist. Near misses are 'a dispensing error detected by the checker before the patient receives the prescription'.

Prevented dispensing errors or 'near misses', are errors detected by the final accuracy checker before the patient or representative receives the medications - a prevented error causes no harm to the patient[1].

Near miss log – Record near miss incidents – (A near miss is as a patient safety incident that is detected before the patient or patient's representative is handed the dispensed prescription preventing any unintended/unexpected harm)

A dispensing error can be defined as an inconsistency between the drug prescribed and drug dispensed to a patient. These errors can lead to ineffective and sometimes unwanted pharmaceutical outcomes. Dispensing errors can be harmful or even fatal to patients.

Medication error that has the potential to cause an adverse event (patient harm) but did not reach the patient because of chance or because it is intercepted in the medication use process. If the healthcare personnel detected and corrected the error BEFORE it reaches the patient, it is considered as near miss. 1.