RESEARCHERS from the Universities of South Australia and NSW have reported on a study finding errors in palliative care involving opioids are almost three times higher than previously reported in other health settings.
Debra Rowett from UniSA's School of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences said the study looked at opioid errors in three inpatient palliative care services in metropolitan NSW over a two year period.
More than half the errors involved patients receiving a lower dose of pain relief than ordered, requiring clinical intervention in about a third of cases.
The majority of patients were aged in their 70s and had cancer.
Rowett said the study, published today in BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care, was an important first step in quantifying and identifying opioid errors, with the high rate of issues found likely reflecting the higher volume of opioids such as morphine being used for patients to manage pain in the last stages of their lives.
Of 55 opioid errors identified, most involved morphine doses (35%) while the remainder related to administration errors.
The researchers noted that medication errors posed one of the greatest risks to patient safety, particularly in the case of opioids which are high-risk medicines.
"The risk is amplified in patients who are older, have multiple health issues and are taking numerous medications," they wrote.
For more info on the study contact carly.gibson@unisa.edu.au.
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