Keeping patients safe through medication review and management in the community.

Background: There are numerous publications on inpatient medication errors. However, little focus is given to medication errors that occur at home.

Aims: To describe and analyse the types of medication errors among community-dwelling patients following their discharge from an acute care hospital in Singapore.

Method: This is a retrospective review of a 'good catch' reporting system from December 2018 to March 2022. Medication-related errors were extracted and analysed.

Findings: A total of 73 reported medication-related error incidents were reviewed. The mean age of the patients was 78 years old (SD=9). Most patients managed their medications independently at home (45.2%, =33). The majority of medications involved were cardiovascular medications (51.5%, =50). Incorrect dosing (41.1%, =39) was the most common medication error reported. Poor understanding of medication usage (35.6%, =26) and lack of awareness of medication changes after discharge (24.7%, =18) were the primary causes of the errors.

Conclusion: This study's findings provide valuable insights into reducing medication errors at home. More attention must be given to post-discharge care, especially to preventable medication errors. Medication administration and management education can be emphasised using teach-back methods.