Are Physician Assistants Able to Correctly Identify Prescribing Errors? A Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Pharmacology
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Accurate prescribing is a critical skill for healthcare professionals.
• Prescribing errors can lead to significant patient harm.
• Evaluating the competency of future prescribers is essential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the frequency with which physician assistant (PA) students correctly identify prescribing errors.
• To investigate if there are differences between student cohorts in their ability to detect prescribing errors.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving two cohorts of PA students.
• Students analyzed three hypothetical prescriptions, two containing errors.
• Students identified the presence and type of prescribing errors.

Main Results:

• 130 PA students participated (72.6% response rate).
• Only 12.3% of students correctly identified all prescribing errors.
• The median number of correctly identified prescriptions was one; no significant cohort differences were found.

Conclusions:

• PA students' ability to identify prescribing errors is comparable to medical and nursing students.
• There is a critical need to enhance prescribing education for PA students.
• Improved training is vital for ensuring patient safety and reducing medication errors.