Improving the quality of prescribing in the emergency department

Prescribing errors are common and can have a significant negative impact on patients. This article presents an audit and intervention which aimed to improve prescribing safety, documentation and handover in the emergency department. The authors identified shortcomings in the emergency department drug chart, which were subsequently confirmed by audit. To address these shortcomings, a new drug chart was designed and introduced, before repeating the audit. This intervention resulted in significantly more frequent documentation of key aspects of the prescription including date and time, and rate and volume for infusions. This low cost intervention is applicable to other emergency department settings.