Capturing Patients' Perspectives on Medication Safety: The Development of a Patient-Centered Medication Safety Framework

Medication safety incidents are common in primary care and contributory factors frameworks can assist in our understanding of their causes. A framework that is positioned from the perspective of patients would be advantageous in practice when seeking patient insights into medication safety. The aim of this study was to develop a patient-centered contributory factors framework for examining medication safety incidents. METHODS: A purposive sample of 106 members of the public, patients, and carers were recruited to take part in focus groups (n = 18). Focus groups were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a thematic framework. A patient and public involvement group was set up to undertake multiple roles in the research process, including the development of the focus group schedule, analysis of the data, and the construction of a patient-centered framework of contributory factors (patient-centered medication safety) and implementation checklist. RESULTS: The findings highlighted the importance of communication, supplies of medication and appliances, patient- and carer-related factors, healthcare professional factors, and computer systems and programs in the safe use of medicines. Some contributory factors were unique to primary care patients such as access to services and continuity of care. In conjunction with a patient and public involvement group, a framework of factors that patients believe contribute to medication safety incidents in primary care was developed that could be used by patients and healthcare professionals. CONCLUSIONS: The patient-centered medication safety framework and implementation checklist provides a novel tool to examine contributory factors that can lead to medication safety incidents from patients' perspective.