Healthcare professional’s knowledge and awareness of the medication error reporting systems in the Kuwaiti hospitals

Abstract Objective. A survey was conducted to explore healthcare professional’s (HCPs) knowledge and attitude towards medication errors reporting processes and systems used in their local hospitals. Methods. There were 696 respondents and the observational survey showed the diverse perspectives of HCPs from diverse professions (doctors, pharmacists and nurses) who are at different stages in their career. The survey results highlighted the deficiencies in the medication safety management process, including the follow-up on witnessed or discovered medication errors, the effectiveness of the used reporting systems for medication errors, the standardisation of electronic prescribing software, and the training of HCPs at the six hospitals on medication safety. Key finding. Only 46% of the surveyed stated that their hospital had a mechanism in place for reporting medication errors and 60.7% of the participants agreed that they would submit reports provided the system is not used for performance management and only those need to know will be able to identify their name. Regarding prescription writing, 51% of surveyed HCPs said they utilise electronic prescribing software; however, the overall usage rate of electronic prescribing systems was 49%, with handwritten prescriptions remaining the option used in the majority of the time. In terms of HCP training, 20% of the survey respondents said they did not receive any instruction or direction in the hospitals on pharmacovigilance and patient safety. Conclusions. The Kuwaiti MoH should build a national electronic incident reporting system and establish standardised rules and protocols for incident reporting that is to be anonymous and of compulsory use by all government and private hospitals.