Pharmacist-led, video-stimulated feedback to reduce prescribing errors in doctors-in-training: A mixed methods...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Patient Safety
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Prescribing errors are a significant concern in healthcare.
• Traditional feedback to doctors-in-training is often infrequent and negative.
• There is a need for effective, supportive interventions to improve prescribing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a pharmacist-led prescribing feedback intervention for doctors-in-training.
• To assess the feasibility and impact of this intervention on reducing prescribing errors.
• To evaluate the reception of the feedback by the doctors-in-training.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-methods study involving 16 postgraduate doctors-in-training in a UK hospital.
• Doctors reviewed video recordings of their prescribing and received pharmacist feedback.
• Prescribing error prevalence was measured quantitatively, and participant experiences were assessed qualitatively through interviews.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant reduction in mean daily prescribing errors from 19.0 to 11.7 (38% reduction; P < .0001).
• Pharmacist-led video-stimulated prescribing feedback was found to be feasible.
• The intervention was positively received by participants, who valued the supportive developmental approach.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacist-led video-stimulated feedback is a feasible and effective strategy for reducing prescribing errors.
• This intervention provides a supportive, developmental approach for doctors-in-training.
• The positive reception suggests this method can enhance prescribing practices and patient safety.