Prescribing errors in hospital practice.

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Patient Safety
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Prescribing errors in hospitals are a long-standing issue.
• Research in this area faces challenges due to heterogeneous definitions and methodologies.
• Existing studies often focus on either the prescribing process or patient outcomes, complicating prevalence calculations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent research on hospital prescribing errors.
• To highlight the heterogeneity in definitions and methods used in studies.
• To discuss the prevalence, causes, and potential interventions for prescribing errors.

Main Methods:

• Narrative review of recent literature on prescribing errors.
• Analysis of different definitions and research methodologies.
• Examination of error rates associated with handwritten and electronic prescribing.

Main Results:

• Prescribing errors affect approximately 15% of handwritten orders and up to 8% of electronic orders.
• Errors are most frequently identified upon hospital admission, often involving medication continuation.
• Dose errors are the most common type of error throughout a patient's hospital stay.
• Electronic prescribing reduces some errors but introduces new types.
• Causal pathways for errors differ between handwritten and electronic prescribing.

Conclusions:

• A deeper understanding of the prevalence and causal pathways of prescribing errors, differentiating between minor and severe cases, is crucial.
• The findings underscore the need for theoretically-based interventions to minimize prescribing errors.
• Continued research is necessary to address the complexities of prescribing errors in diverse healthcare settings.