According to a British study, if residents at homes for elderly are given capsules or pills taken out from a dosage system that is monitored, medication errors are less likely to happen.

There are compartments in the dosage system that is monitored that looks like a tray or cassette and contains doses that are to be given on a particular day or time and for cutting down medication errors, they make the drug rounds even more simple.

In the United Kingdom, about 233 residents in 55 homes for the elderly were included. About 53 per cent of medicines were given to residents from pills and capsules in dispensers. Other medicines that were not given from these dispensers were Nine per cent of liquid form medicines, pills not from dispensers were about 29 per cent and four per cent of inhalers and others were eye drops, creams etc.

There were two times more chances of an error taking place in medicines that were given from a dispenser, in liquid medicines the chances of an error was four times, 19 per cent error chances when it came to eye drop, cream and injection and when it came to inhaler, the chances were 33 per cent.

The findings were concluded by David Phillip Alldred, of the Academic Unit of Medicines Management, School of Healthcare at the University of Leeds, and colleagues.