Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Mar 23: A major study has revealed that medication errors are alarmingly common in Indian hospitals, with nearly one in three patients experiencing at least one mistake during their stay.
The systematic literature review, published in the Indian Journal of Critical Care Medicine, analysed data from January 2014 to April 2025 covering over 3 lakh hospitalised patients across 40 studies.
The findings showed a median medication error rate of 34.11 percent, while the overall frequency stood at 26.74 percent, indicating that more than one in four clinical encounters involved an error.
The study highlighted that intensive care units (ICUs) reported some of the highest error rates, averaging 36.53 percent, with certain units recording figures as high as 43.60 percent. Emergency departments were found to be particularly vulnerable, with one study noting error rates of up to 74 percent.
General medicine wards, which handle the bulk of hospital admissions, recorded an average error rate of 39.61 percent, suggesting that two in five patients encountered medication-related issues.
According to the study, errors occur across all stages of patient care. Prescribing accounted for 40 percent of mistakes, followed by administration at 31 percent, transcription at 22 percent, and dispensing at 11 percent.
The pattern aligns with global findings by the World Health Organisation, which states that more than half of preventable medication-related harm begins at the prescribing stage.
While many errors were classified as minor or did not reach patients, a significant proportion had clinical consequences. Around 8.9 percent required monitoring, 2.2 percent caused temporary harm needing medical intervention, and up to 1.2 percent led to prolonged hospital stays. In rare cases, life-sustaining intervention was required.
The study also warned that the actual scale of the problem could be higher due to underreporting, driven by fear of blame and legal consequences.
Experts attributed the issue to systemic challenges such as heavy workloads, staff shortages, fatigue, and poor communication. Nursing staff were found to be particularly burdened, increasing the risk of errors.
However, the report pointed to solutions, noting that training and awareness programmes could reduce medication administration errors by up to 60.9 percent. Technologies like electronic prescribing, barcoding, and automated infusion systems were also found effective, though underutilised.
The study stressed the need for consistent use of safety tools and a shift towards a blame-free reporting culture to reduce medication errors and improve patient safety.