Medication errors in type 2 diabetes from patients’ perspective

INTRODUCTION: Drug errors pose a major health hazard to a number of patient populations. However, patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus seem especially vulnerable to this risk as diabetes mellitus is usually concomitant with various comorbidities and polypharmacy, which present significant risk factors for the occurrence of drug errors. Despite this fact, there is little data on drug errors from patients’ perspective. The present survey aimed to examine the viewpoints of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus regarding their experiences with medication errors, the overall treatment satisfaction, and their perceptions on how a medication error was handled in daily hospital routine. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Inpatients at the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology of the University Hospital of Graz were included in the survey. Out of 100 patients, one-half had insulin therapy before hospitalization while the other half had no insulin therapy prior to admission. After giving informed consent, patients filled out a questionnaire with 22 items. RESULTS: Independent of their preexisting therapy, 25% of patients already suffered at least one drug error, whereby prescribing a wrong dose seemed to be the most common type of error. Furthermore, 26% of patients in the non-insulin versus 50% in the insulin group (p = 0.084) were convinced that drug errors were addressed honestly by the medical staff, while 54% in the non-insulin versus 80% in the insulin-group (p = 0.061) assumed that adequate measures were taken to prevent drug errors. Finally, 9 out of 10 patients seemed satisfied with their treatment regardless of their diabetes therapy. DISCUSSION/CONCLUSION: The results of the survey clearly showed that patients experienced at least one medication error during hospitalization. However, these errors only rarely led to patient harm. The survey also revealed the value of an honest and respectful doctor-patient relationship regarding patient perception of medication errors and general complaints. Increasing patient awareness on the existing in-hospital error management systems could eliminate treatment-related concerns and create a climate of trust that is essential for effective treatment.