Evaluation of Awareness Regarding Look-Alike Sound-Alike Drugs and Potential Medication Errors Among AT & OT Interns and OT Technologists
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.67920/jahcri.2026.17Keywords:
Look-Alike Sound-Alike (LASA) Drugs, Medication Errors, Medication Safety, Patient Safety, Operation TheatreAbstract
Background: Look-Alike Sound-Alike (LASA) medicines are an important source of medication errors, particularly in anaesthesia and operating theatre settings where medicines are prepared and administered rapidly. Adequate awareness is essential for preventing avoidable errors.
Objective: To evaluate awareness regarding LASA drugs and potential medication errors among Anaesthesia Technology (AT) and Operation Theatre (OT) interns and OT technologists.
Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 42 AT and OT interns and OT technologists working in the operation theatre of a tertiary care hospital in Puducherry. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire validated by three experts in the Department of Anaesthesiology. Each correct response received one mark; incorrect or unsure responses received zero. Data were analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics version 26.0. Frequency, percentage, mean and standard deviation were used. Fisher’s Exact Test assessed associations between awareness level and demographic variables.
Results: Of the 42 participants, 17 (40.5%) were aged 20–25 years, 27 (64.3%) were female, 25 (59.5%) were OT technologists, and 22 (52.4%) had more than three years of clinical experience. Overall, 36 participants (85.7%) demonstrated good awareness, 6 (14.3%) demonstrated moderate awareness, and none demonstrated poor awareness. Awareness was significantly associated with age (p=0.002), profession (p=0.002), and clinical experience (p=0.007), but not with gender (p=0.231).
Conclusion: Participants demonstrated good awareness of LASA drugs and potential medication errors. Continued education, structured orientation, competency-based assessment, and reinforcement of medication-safety practices are recommended to strengthen safe medication practices in anaesthesia and operating theatre settings.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Lakshmi Prabha V, Dr. A.N. Uma, Dr. Arthi P. R., Balaji M (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
