Maryam Mousavi - Research Center for Rational use of Drugs, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Sepideh Elyasi - Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Maryam Esmaeili - Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Mohammad Mahdi Kooshyar - Department of Hematology and Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran
Azar Fani Pakdel - Cancer Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Background: Antineoplastic drugs are among medications that have narrow therapeutic index and high toxicity. For this reason, medication errors in patients with cancer are important and there have been myriads of efforts to decrease them. In this study, we attempted to assess the medication errors by designing chemotherapy standard forms for patients with Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. Method: This cross-sectional study was performed in Omid and Imam Reza Hospitals, Mashhad, Iran from January ۲۰۱۶ to October ۲۰۱۶.The forms have been designed by clinical pharmacist based on available international guidelines and validated by clinical oncologists working in these two centers. Therapeutic regimens were selected by clinical oncologists and adherence of the oncologists and nurses to this form and probable medication errors were identified by the pharmacy students. Result: In ۲۰۶ visits of ۶۲ Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients, overall ۷۹۰ antineoplastic drugs were administered to patients in whom ۱۶۰ drugs were associated with medication error. The most common errors included improper dose (۶۵%) and wrong infusion time (۳۵%). One of the most important reasons for dosing errors was miscalculation of the BSA (۴۰%). Conclusion: This study shows that about two third of errors were improper dose. It seems that chemotherapy standard forms, if properly followed by nurses and physicians, could be useful and effective to reduce medication errors.

Medication Error, Hodgkin’s disease, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, Chemotherapy standard form