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Pharmacist‐led, video‐stimulated feedback to reduce prescribing errors in doctors‐in‐training: A mixed methods evaluation
Author(s) -
Parker Hazel,
Farrell Odran,
Bethune Rob,
Hodgetts Ali,
Mattick Karen
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
british journal of clinical pharmacology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.216
H-Index - 146
eISSN - 1365-2125
pISSN - 0306-5251
DOI - 10.1111/bcp.14065
Subject(s) - pharmacist , medicine , intervention (counseling) , data collection , qualitative property , family medicine , video feedback , pharmacy , nursing , computer science , statistics , mathematics , machine learning , physics , optics
Aims To develop and evaluate a feasible, authentic pharmacist‐led prescribing feedback intervention for doctors‐in‐training, to reduce prescribing errors. Methods This was a mixed methods study. Sixteen postgraduate doctors‐in training, rotating though the surgical assessment unit of 1 UK hospital, were filmed taking a medication history with a patient and prescribing medications. Each doctor reviewed their video footage and made plans to improve their prescribing, supported by feedback from a pharmacist. Quantitative data in the form of prescribing error prevalence data were collected on 1 day per week before, during and after the intervention period (between November 2015 and March 2017). Qualitative data in the form of individual semi‐structured interviews were collected with a subset of participants, to evaluate their experience. Quantitative data were analysed using a statistical process chart and qualitative data were transcribed and analysed thematically. Results During the data collection period, 923 patient drug charts were reviewed by pharmacists who identified 1219 prescribing errors overall. Implementation of this feedback approach was associated with a statistically significant reduction in the mean number of prescribing errors, from 19.0/d to 11.7/d (estimated to equate to 38% reduction; P < .0001). Pharmacist‐led video‐stimulated prescribing feedback was feasible and positively received by participants, who appreciated the reinforcement of good practice as well as the opportunity to reflect on and improve practice. Conclusions Feedback to doctors‐in‐training tends to be infrequent and often negative, but this feasible feedback strategy significantly reduced prescribing errors and was well received by the target audience as a supportive developmental approach.