The perceptions of reception staff in general practice about the factors influencing specific medication errors

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN IN THIS AREA: • Receptionists have previously reported that they experience their interaction with patients as a challenging aspect of their work. • The factors influencing medication errors have been well documented from the perspective of GPs, who have identified workload, communication, and prescribing and warning systems as areas of underlying failure which can lead to errors. • Receptionists' roles and their involvement in patient care are recognised as posing medico-legal risks for general practices. WHAT THIS WORK ADDS: • Receptionists are under-represented in medicine-related incident research, and this research indicates that they have an important contribution to the understanding of how errors occur. • Communication with patients and health professionals in secondary care are particular areas of difficulty, which receptionists perceive may contribute to medicine-related incidents. • Receptionists trust GPs to perform their tasks with rigour. • Education and development outcomes are implied from these findings. SUGGESTIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH: • Research is needed to confirm and explain these themes further using a mixed methodology