Enhancing Safety in Antibiotic Administration: Avoiding Anaphylaxis and Medication Errors

Abstract

Abstract

Patient safety, “first, do no harm” should be the most vital goal of any healthcare service. The harm that is caused by unsafe medication practices and medication errors should be avoided or minimized by improving knowledge and awareness.  Antibiotics are one of the most commonly over-prescribed and irrationally used medicines, particularly in low and middle income countries (LMIs). Therefore, errors in prescription and administration could have a significant impact on patient outcomes and healthcare costs.  Allergies and anaphylaxis are off target adverse drug reactions that occur with any antibiotic, more commonly reported with beta-lactams. Frequently, patients are loosely labeled as having an “antibiotic allergy”. Most are “erroneous labels” which are rarely evaluated or questioned in clinical practice. On the other hand, any patient who is prescribed an antibiotic could develop a severe allergic reaction at any given time, which should be managed appropriately. In view of the recent events with increased number of reported cases of anaphylaxis associated fatalities due to antibiotics in the country and to ensure patient safety when administering antibiotics, this review aims at identifying effective interventions to avoid or reduce medication errors and fatalities associated with severe allergic reactions when administering antibiotics.