http://www.nccmerp.org/types-medication-errors

May help. There are various classifications of medical errors which include medication errors as well.

This draft document may help:

http://www.who.int/patientsafety/events/05/Reporting_Guidelines.pdf

It is a comprehensive MEDICAL errors reporting system which also includes medication errors.

Regards.

Dr. Akilesh. R

You may find this link helpful - study looks into medicine administration errors in nursing homes.

https://www1.imperial.ac.uk/cpssq/research_themes_2/cpssq_research_themes/chums/

there are a number of classification systems but essentially there are '5 rights'-right medicine, right patient,right dose, right time,right route. Some authors add recording errors though these are not strictly errors in medication administration but latent errors likely to cause a subsequent real error

            Medication errors

There are different classification for medication errors, here I provide the common classification scheme based on the nature of the error

Prescribing Error

Incorrect drug product selection (based on indications, contraindications, known allergies, existing drug therapy, and other factors), dose, dosage form, quantity, route of administration, concentration, rate of administration, or instructions for use of a drug product ordered or authorized by physician (or other legitimate prescriber); illegible prescriptions or medication orders that lead to errors.

Omission error

The failure to administer an ordered dose to a patient before the next scheduled dose or failure to prescribe a drug product that is indicated for the patient. The failure to administer an ordered dose excludes patient’s refusal and clinical decision or other valid reason not to administer.

Wrong time error

Administration of medication outside a predefined time interval from its scheduled administration time (this interval should be established by each individual healthcare facility).

Unauthorizeddrug error

Dispensing or administration to the patient of medication not authorized by a legitimate prescriber.

Dose error

Dispensing or administration to the patient of a dose that is greater than or less than the amount ordered by the prescriber or administration of multiple doses to the patient, i.e.   one or more dosage units in addition to those that were ordered.

Dosage form error

Dispensing or administration to the patient of a drug product in a different dosage form than that ordered by the prescriber.

 Drug preparation error

 Drug  product  incorrectly  formulated  or  manipulated  before  dispensing  or administration.

Route of administration error

Wrong route of administration of the correct drug.

Administration technique error

Inappropriate procedure or improper technique in the administration of a drug other than wrong route.

Deteriorated drug error

Dispensing or administration of a drug that has expired or for which the physical or chemical dosage-form integrity has been compromised

Monitoring error

Failure to review a prescribed regimen for appropriateness and detection of problems, or failure to use appropriate clinical or laboratory data for adequate assessment of patient response to prescribed therapy.

Compliance error

Inappropriate patient behavior regarding adherence to a prescribed medication regimen.

Other medication error

Any medication error that does not fall into one of the above predefined types.

 Medication errors are major causes of adverse drug reactions, worsening morbidity and mortality. For its' classification, you can check the following article  by Aronson JK - Medication errors: what they are, how they happen and how to avoid them - Q J Med

doi:10.1093/qjmed/hcp052

Prescribing Errors

Dispensing Errors

Administering Errors

US FDA also has a page with links to resources on medication errors and patient safety:

http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/medicationerrors/

Institute of Medicine produced a report on prevention of medication errors, you can either access it online or download pdf (you need to register to do so, but I believe it it free):

http://www.iom.edu/Reports/2006/Preventing-Medication-Errors-Quality-Chasm-Series.aspx

I hope it helps.

Here are article. I hope it helps

Another related type of medication error is medication discrepancy.  See Coleman et al Arch Intern Med 2005.  The National Quality Forum recently endorsed a measure to look at discrepancy rate - NQF# 2456.