Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 26, 2026

Improving IV Insulin Administration in a Community Hospital
Published on: June 11, 2012
Prescribing errors in general practice: a prospective study
Yvonne Maria Sayers1, Paul Armstrong, Karena Hanley
1Palace Medical Centre, Tuam, Co. Galway, Ireland. ysayers@hotmail.com
Abstract:
Prescribing is one of the commonest tasks in daily general practice. Surprisingly there is little published research on errors that occur in this area. The aim of this study was to estimate the seriousness and level of prescribing errors that occurred in general practice. This prospective survey documented errors in prescriptions from 28 general practitioners as they occurred over a 3-day period in 12 community pharmacies. From a total of 3,948 prescriptions, 491 (12.4%) contained one or more errors. From a total of 8,686 drug items, 546 (6.2%) contained one or more errors. Of the errors the majority were minor (398, 72.9%), a smaller number (135, 24.7%) were major nuisance errors, and there were 13 (2.4%) potentially serious errors. The most common errors related to drug directions and dosage.
Related Concept Videos
Pharmaceutical Poisoning: Potential Scenarios
Errors occurring during blood pressure monitoring
Several factors...
Systematic Error: Methodological and Sampling Errors
Sampling errors originate from improper sampling methods or the wrong sample population. These errors can be minimized by refining the sampling strategy. Defective instruments or faulty calibrations are the sources of instrumental...
Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
Pharmacovigilance
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
Guidelines for Nursing Documentation I
Factual:
The following points emphasize the significance of upholding accurate and unbiased documentation in healthcare.