Medication Misadventures Among COVID-19 Patients in Saudi Arabia

Background: Due to the need for early and effective medications for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), less attention may have been paid to medication safety during this pandemic. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the incidence, nature, and seriousness of medication errors (MEs) and adverse drug reactions (ADRs) among hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Materials and methods: This is a retrospective study of MEs and ADRs reported at the King Saud Medical City (KSMC) between April 2020 and September 2020. Results: A total of 343 MEs and 416 ADRs were reported during the study period. The incidence of MEs was 19% (19/100). Seventy-five MEs (21.5%) reached the patient but did not cause any harm. Wrong dose (n=101, 29.4%) was the most common type of MEs. Physicians were the most common source of MEs (87.5%). Antibiotics (32%) and antineoplastics (25%) were the most common drug categories involved in MEs and ADRs, respectively. Thirty-nine percent (n=163) of the ADRs were of serious nature. 24% (n=100) required hospitalization, 5% (n=21) were life-threatening, 16 (3.8%) required intervention to prevent permanent impairment or damage, and 6.2% (n=26) resulted in the discontinuation of treatment. Conclusion: The reporting of MEs appears to be high among COVID-19 patients in a large tertiary care setting in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The majority of MEs were caused by dosing errors and errors in drug frequency, mostly ascribed to physicians, which may be indicative of burnout or stress among them. The reporting of MEs and ADRs can be improved by providing incentives to healthcare professionals (HCPs) and promoting a non-punitive culture. Further studies should explore the clinical consequences of medication misadventures in hospitalized COVID-19 patients.