The Role of Pharmacists in Preventing Medication Errors in Hospitals

Written By: Michelle Zhang 

When I first became intrigued by pharmacy, I was drawn more than ever to pill bottles and prescriptions. I was so fascinated by the ways pharmacists work behind the scenes to keep patients safe- especially in hospitals, where the stakes are higher than ever, and mistakes can be fatal.

Unlike the perspective of a pharmacist standing over the counter handing out pills, hospital pharmacists are different in every step of a patient’s meds journey, from reviewing orders, checking doses, and ensuring that nothing is missed with patients. Over time, I began to wonder: How often do medication errors start to happen? And how can a pharmacist prevent things from taking a turn for the worse? 

So I began to dig deeper into these questions, and one thing became crystal clear: pharmacists are the last line of defense in preventing medication errors in hospitals. Whether it’s counting pills or making a decision, their roles are super crucial for patient safety.

What Are Medication Errors? 

A medication error is any mistake that happens when prescribing, ordering, or administering. These can include:

• Giving the wrong dose

• Prescribing the wrong drug

• Mislabeling a medication

In hospitals, where patients are often severely vulnerable in their state and on multiple drug medications, these errors are life-threatening. That’s why pharmacist plays such a massive role in this steering, since they’re trained to catch these mistakes before they can happen.

The Pharmacist’s Role: Behind the Scenes but Frontline 

In hospital settings, clinical pharmacists don’t just distribute pills to everyone; they help prevent adverse reactions in real time. Their responsibilities include:

• Reviewing medication order

• Consulting with doctors

• Monitoring the Patient’s lab

• Educating patients 

For example, a 2020 study by Lazaro Cebras et al. showed that when pharmacists met with older patients before discharge, hospital readmission dropped by almost 4%! That’s almost incredible times 4. Even more importantly, high-risk patients saved both health and money (Lazaro Cebas et.al., 2022).

Real-World Evidence: Studies That Prove It Works

One way to look at it is through studies published fairly recently that have been conducted across various countries to prove that pharmacists indeed make a measurable difference:

According to a 2023 study conducted by Al-Maqbali et al. in Oman, two groups of patients were compared, those who had the entire hospital stay pharmacist-led care, and those who got only some of that support. The patients who got a full "bundle" of care had 73% fewer hospital readmissions within 90 days (Al-Maqbali et al., 2023).

The meta-analysis conducted by Wu et al. in 2025, which includes 14 studies, supported pharmacist-led care in reducing hospital readmissions after 30 days and also in lowering adverse drug events (ADEs). That means fewer dangerous side effects from medicines, fewer visits to emergency services, and safer patients overall (Wu et al., 2025).

Why It Matters

Most don't know that medication errors are among the leading causes of preventable patient harm in hospital settings. While technology and software are certainly keys to a solution, trained humans are the essential piece. Pharmacists bring clinical judgment, deep knowledge about drugs, and patient-focused concepts that simply cannot be put into codes or SOPs.

Where hospital systems and overburdening staff trends exist, the safety net that pharmacists bring must be fostered. With the cultivation of more future pharmacists should come an investment in carving out greater space for them in direct-patient care--not so much in the pharmacy anymore, but alongside nursing, in the ICU, and many more settings

Looking Ahead: How Can We Make Hospitals Safer?

Yet the job is still incomplete. There are hospitals without the adequate number of clinical pharmacists; unlike other doctors, these physicians might not prefer to work side by side with the pharmacists. The more research we collect and the more patients we protect, the clearer are the prospects of pharmacists becoming necessary for the safe, up-to-date care that is given in a hospital.

Be it the dangerous dose-high check or a situation where the anxious patient needs explanation on new medicine, pharmacists save a life every day before that life is lost. As a would-be pharmacist, I am proud to enter an esteemed profession that combines knowledge and humane concern for the protection of people when most vulnerable.

Reference 

Al-Maqbali, J. S., Al-Zakwani, I. S., Al-Kindi, R. M., Al-Muqbali, A., Al-Azri, M., & Al-Busaidi, I. (2023). Impact of clinical pharmacists-driven bundled activities from admission to discharge on 90-day hospital readmissions and ED visits. Oman Medical Journal, 38(6). https://doi.org/10.5001/omj.2023.110

Lázaro Cebas, A. L., Caro Teller, J. M., García Muñoz, C., Carpio Gallego, A., Velasco Sánchez, R., Pérez Muñoz, M. A., ... & Martínez Martínez, F. (2022). Intervention by a clinical pharmacist carried out at discharge of elderly patients admitted to the internal medicine department: Influence on readmissions and costs. BMC Health Services Research, 22(167). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07582-6

Wu, L., Wang, Y., Zhang, T., Chen, Q., & Li, J. (2025). Practice guidelines for evaluation of clinical pharmacy services: A meta-analysis of 14 RCTs and observational studies. Frontiers in Public Health. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1472355

Naseralallah, L. M., Hussain, T. A., & Pawluk, S. A. (2020). Impact of pharmacist interventions on medication errors in hospitalized pediatric patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 42(4), 979–994. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-020-00945-y

Jaam, M., Naseralallah, L. M., Hussain, T. A., & Pawluk, S. A. (2021). Pharmacist-led educational interventions provided to healthcare providers to reduce medication errors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE, 16(6), e0253588. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0253588

Weber, C., Meyer-Massetti, C., & Schönenberger, N. (2025). Pharmacist-led interventions at hospital discharge: A scoping review of studies demonstrating reduced readmission rates. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 47, 15–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11096-024-01821-y

De Oliveira, G. S., Castro-Alves, L. J., Kendall, M. C., et al. (2021). Effectiveness of pharmacist intervention to reduce medication errors and healthcare resource utilization after transitions of care: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Patient Safety, 17(5), 375–380. https://doi.org/10.1097/PTS.0000000000000283

Jošt, M., Kerec Kos, M., Kos, M., & Knez, L. (2024). Effectiveness of pharmacist-led medication reconciliation on medication errors at hospital discharge. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 15, 1377781. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2024.1377781