***TASK*** the task is to summarize an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***INPUT*** the input is a biomedical literature 
    ***OUTPUT*** the output is the summary of an input biomedical literature in six sentences 
    ***DOCUMENTATION*** 
    ***EXAMPLES*** 
    Input: Introduction . Medication errors are widely reported for hospitalised patients , but limited data are available for medication errors that occur in community-based and clinical setting s. Epidemiological data from poisons information centres enable characterisation of trends in medication errors occurring across the healthcare spectrum . Aim . The objective of this study was to characterise the epidemiology and type of medication errors reported to the National Poisons Information Centre ( NPIC ) of Irel and . Methods . A 3-year prospect i ve study on medication errors reported to the NPIC was conducted from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2009 inclusive . Data on patient demographics , enquiry source , location , pharmaceutical agent(s ) , type of medication error , and treatment advice were collated from st and ardised call report forms . Medication errors were categorised as ( i ) prescribing error ( i.e. physician error ) , ( ii ) dispensing error ( i.e. pharmacy error ) , and ( iii ) administration error involving the wrong medication , the wrong dose , wrong route , or the wrong time . Results .  Medication errors were reported for 2348 individuals , representing 9.56 % of total enquiries to the NPIC over 3 years . In total , 1220 children and adolescents under 18 years of age and 1128 adults ( ≥ 18 years old ) experienced a medication error . The majority of enquiries were received from healthcare professionals , but members of the public accounted for 31.3 % ( n = 736 ) of enquiries . Most medication errors occurred in a domestic setting ( n = 2135 ) , but a small number occurred in healthcare facilities : nursing homes ( n = 110 , 4.68 % ) , hospitals ( n = 53 , 2.26 % ) , and general practitioner surgeries ( n = 32 , 1.36 % ) . In children , medication errors with non-prescription pharmaceuticals predominated ( n = 722 ) and anti-pyretics and non-opioid analgesics , anti-bacterials , and cough and cold preparations were the main pharmaceutical classes involved . Medication errors with prescription medication predominated for adults ( n = 866 ) and the major medication classes included anti-pyretics and non-opioid analgesics , psychoanaleptics , and psychleptic agents . Approximately 97 % ( n = 2279 ) of medication errors were as a result of drug administration errors ( comprising a double dose [ n = 1040 ] , wrong dose [ n = 395 ] , wrong medication [ n = 597 ] , wrong route [ n = 133 ] , and wrong time [ n = 110 ] ) . Prescribing and dispensing errors accounted for 0.68 % ( n = 16 ) and 2.26 % ( n = 53 ) of errors , respectively . Conclusion . Empirical data from poisons information centres facilitate the characterisation of medication errors occurring in the community and across the healthcare spectrum . Poison centre data facilitate the detection of subtle trends in medication errors and can contribute to pharmacovigilance . Collaboration between pharmaceutical manufacturers , consumers , medical , and regulatory communities is needed to advance patient safety and reduce medication errors Background Nonadherence and medication errors are common among patients with complex drug regimens . Apps for smartphones and tablets are effective for improving adherence , but they have not been tested in elderly patients with complex chronic conditions and who typically have less experience with this type of technology . Objective The objective of this study was to design , implement , and evaluate a medication self-management app ( called ALICE ) for elderly patients taking multiple medications with the intention of improving adherence and safe medication use . Methods A single-blind r and omized controlled trial was conducted with a control and an experimental group ( N=99 ) in Spain in 2013 . The characteristics of ALICE were specified based on the suggestions of 3 nominal groups with a total of 23 patients and a focus group with 7 professionals .  ALICE was design ed for And roid and iOS to allow for the personalization of prescriptions and medical advice , showing images of each of the medications ( the packaging and the medication itself ) together with alerts and multiple reminders for each alert . The r and omly assigned patients in the control group received oral and written information on the safe use of their medications and the patients in the experimental group used ALICE for 3 months . Pre and post measures included rate of missed doses and medication errors reported by patients , scores from the 4-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale ( MMAS-4 ) , level of independence , self-perceived health status , and biochemical test results . In the experimental group , data were collected on their previous experience with information and communication technologies , their rating of ALICE , and their perception of the level of independence they had achieved . The intergroup intervention effects were calculated by univariate linear models and ANOVA , with the pre to post intervention differences as the dependent variables . Results Data were obtained from 99 patients ( 48 and 51 in the control and experimental groups , respectively ) . Patients in the experimental group obtained better MMAS-4 scores ( P<.001 ) and reported fewer missed doses of medication ( P=.02 ) . ALICE only helped to significantly reduce medication errors in patients with an initially higher rate of errors ( P<.001 ) . Patients with no experience with information and communication technologies reported better adherence ( P<.001 ) , fewer missed doses ( P<.001 ) , and fewer medication errors ( P=.02 ) . The mean satisfaction score for ALICE was 8.5 out of 10 . In all , 45 of 51 patients ( 88 % ) felt that ALICE improved their independence in managing their medications . Conclusions The ALICE app improves adherence , helps reduce rates of forgetting and of medication errors , and increases perceived independence in managing medication . Elderly patients with no previous experience with information and communication technologies are capable of effectively using an app design ed to help them take their medicine more safely . Trial Registration Clinical trials.gov NCT02071498 ; http:// clinical trials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02071498 ( Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6OJjdHVhD ) OBJECTIVES To compare the effectiveness of small-group training in correct inhaler technique with self-directed Internet-based training . DESIGN Pharmacy students were r and omly allocated to 1 of 2 groups : small-group training ( n = 123 ) or self-directed Internet-based training ( n = 113 ) . Prior to intervention delivery , all participants were given a placebo Turbuhaler and product information leaflet and received inhaler technique training based on their group .  Technique was assessed following training and predictors of correct inhaler technique were examined . ASSESSMENT There was a significant improvement in the number of participants demonstrating correct technique in both groups ( small group training , 12 % to 63 % ; p < 0.05 ; and Internet-based training , 9 % to 59 % ; p < 0.05 ) post intervention , with no significant difference between the groups in the percent change ( n = 234 , p > 0.05 ) . Increased student confidence following the intervention was a predictor for correct inhaler technique . CONCLUSIONS Self-directed Internet-based training is as effective as small-group training in improving students ' inhaler technique Self-monitoring of blood glucose ( SMBG ) is clearly correlated with increased life expectancy and quality of life in type 2 diabetic patients . Objective The objective of our study was to record and assess the errors patients make in preparing , performing , and processing self-monitoring of blood glucose ( SMBG ) . Furthermore , the study aim ed to determine to what extent a single st and ardized SMBG instruction session in a community pharmacy might reduce the number of patients making errors or the number of errors per patient . Methods Between May and October 2005 , SMBG of 462 r and omly selected patients with type 2 diabetes was monitored in 32 pharmacies specialized in diabetes care . The patients performed blood glucose self-tests using their own blood glucose meters . Self-testing was monitored using a st and ardized documentation sheet on which any error made during the performance of the test was recorded . If necessary , patients were instructed in the accurate operation of their meter and the use of the necessary equipment . Additionally , patients obtained written instructions . Six weeks later , assessment of the quality of patient ’s SMBG  was repeated . Results During the first observation , 383 patients ( 83 % ) made at least one mistake performing SMBG . By the time of the second observation , this frequency had fallen to 189 ( 41 % ) ( p<0.001 ) . The average number of mistakes fell from 3.1 to 0.8 per patient . Mistakes that may potentially have led to inaccurate readings were initially recorded for 283 ( 61 % ) and at study end for 110 ( 24 % ) patients ( p<0.001 ) . Conclusion It is important to periodically instruct type 2 diabetic patients in the proper SMBG technique in order to ensure accurate measurements . In this study it was shown that community pharmacies specialized in diabetes care can provide this service effectively OBJECTIVE : As home medication use increases , medications previously managed by nurses are now managed by patients and their families . Our objective was to describe the types of errors occurring in the home medication management of children with cancer . METHODS : In a prospect i ve observational study at 3 pediatric oncology clinics in the northeastern and southeastern United States , patients undergoing chemotherapy and their parents were recruited from November 2007 through April 2011 . We review ed medical records and checked prescription doses . A trained nurse visited the home , review ed medication bottles , and observed administration . Two physicians independently made judgments regarding whether an error occurred and its severity . Overall rates of errors were weighted to account for clustering within sites . RESULTS : We review ed 963 medications and observed 242 medication administrations in the homes of 92 patients . We found 72 medication errors . Four errors led to significant patient injury . An additional 40 errors had potential for injury : 2 were life-threatening , 13 were serious , and 25 were significant . Error rates varied between study sites ( 40–121 errors per 100 patients ) ; the weighted overall rate was 70.2 errors per 100 patients ( 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] : 58.9–81.6 ) . The weighted rate of errors with injury was 3.6 ( 95 % CI : 1.7–5.5 ) per 100 patients and with potential to injure the patient was 36.3 ( 95 % CI : 29.3–43.3 ) per 100 patients . Nonchemotherapy medications were more often involved in an error than chemotherapy . CONCLUSIONS : Medication errors were common in this multisite study of outpatient pediatric cancer care . Rates of preventable medication-related injuries in this outpatient population were comparable or higher than those found in studies of hospitalized patients OBJECTIVE To analyse the frequency of mistakes in communication between the physician and the patient and their incidence in errors in self-administered drugs . METHODS We undertook a descriptive , cross-sectional study based on interviews with a r and om sample of patients older than 65 years who were polymedicated ( five or more drugs ) and had multiple comorbidities . Data were analysed about the patients ' reports of what the physician said , medication mistakes by the patients and their consequences . RESULTS Responses were provided by 382 patients . A medication error in the last year was reported by 287 patients ( 75 % ) , and 16 patients ( 4 % ) reported four or more errors . Most cases concerned the dosage , a similar appearance of the medication or a lack of underst and ing of the physician 's instructions . Very severe consequences occurred in 19 cases ( 5 % ) . Multiple comorbidities ( P = 0.006 ) and a greater number of treatments ( P = 0.002 ) were associated with making mistakes . Frequent changes in prescription ( P = 0.02 ) , not considering the prescriptions of other physicians ( P = 0.01 ) , inconsistency in the messages ( P = 0.01 ) , being treated by various different physicians at the same time ( P = 0.03 ) , a feeling of not being listened to ( P < 0.001 ) or loss of trust in the physician ( P < 0.001 ) were associated with making medication mistakes . CONCLUSIONS Mistakes by polymedicated patients with multiple comorbidities represent a real risk that should be addressed by the professionals . A review should be made of the routine control questions that the physician asks the patient to identify what other drugs the patient may be taking that have been indicated by another physician A six-month prospect i ve study was carried out by 16 poison control centers in France to assess the epidemiology of medication errors in pediatrics . In this study , 1108 medication errors were analyzed . Mean population age was 3.2 years ( median 2 years , range 3 days-15 years ) , and 30 percent of the children were under 1 year of age . The most frequent error characteristics were family responsibility , 87 percent ( a member of the patient 's family most often committed the error in medication use ) ; parental prescribing decision , 31.5 percent ( medication administered to the child by the parents without medical consultation or the advice of a pharmacist ) ; incorrect execution of the prescription by the parents , 30 percent ( error in dispensing , route of administration , etc . ) ; oral forms , 52 percent ( errors occurred most frequently with oral as opposed to other forms ) ; incorrect dosage , 31.5 percent ; and drug error , 30 percent ( the drug dispensed was not the one prescribed ) . Iatrogenic injury 
    Output:
    
The elderly and the preschooler population constituted a higher number of mistakes than others .
The most common were : incorrect dosage , forgetting , mixing up medications , failing to recall indications and taking out-of- date or inappropriately stored drugs .
The majority of these mistakes have no negative consequences .
Health literacy , information and communication and complexity of use of dispensing devices were identified as causes of PEs .