Which type of medication error involves incorrect medication being dispensed to a patient?

The type of medication error that involves incorrect medication being dispensed to a patient is indeed dispensing errors. This category specifically refers to mistakes that occur during the process of distributing medications from a pharmacy or healthcare provider to the patient. Such errors can include giving the wrong medication, the wrong dosage, or even the wrong formulation, which can lead to serious health implications for the patient.

The other options do not involve the dispensing phase. Administration errors occur when the medication is incorrectly given to the patient, such as the wrong route of administration or timing. Prescribing errors are related to mistakes made during the prescribing phase, such as incorrect drug selection, dosages, or instructions. Monitoring errors pertain to failures in observing or assessing a patient’s response to the medication, which typically happens after the medication has been administered. Therefore, focusing on the dispensing stage clearly identifies why dispensing errors are the appropriate choice for this question.