Perception of Community Pharmacists towards Dispensing Errors in Community Pharmacy Setting in Gondar Town, Northwest Ethiopia

BACKGROUND Dispensing errors are inevitable occurrences in community pharmacies across the world. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to identify the community pharmacists' perception towards dispensing errors in the community pharmacies in Gondar town, Northwest Ethiopia. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted among 47 community pharmacists selected through convenience sampling. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20. Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, and Pearson's Chi-square test of independence were conducted with P ≤ 0.05 considered statistically significant. RESULT The majority of respondents were in the 23-28-year age group (N = 26, 55.3%) and with at least B.Pharm degree (N = 25, 53.2%). Poor prescription handwriting and similar/confusing names were perceived to be the main contributing factors while all the strategies and types of dispensing errors were highly acknowledged by the respondents. Group differences (P < 0.05) in opinions were largely due to educational level and age. CONCLUSION Dispensing errors were associated with prescribing quality and design of dispensary as well as dispensing procedures. Opinion differences relate to age and educational status of the respondents.