Differences in prescribing errors between electronic prescribing and traditional prescribing among medical students:...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Informatics
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Prescribing errors are a significant concern in patient safety.
• Traditional prescribing methods may not adequately prepare students for modern healthcare systems.
• Electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) systems are increasingly adopted, necessitating specific training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare prescribing errors made by medical students using an electronic prescribing system versus a traditional method.
• To analyze the frequency, type, and severity of errors in each prescribing modality.
• To identify prescribing-method-specific errors.

Main Methods:

• A randomized controlled pilot study involving fourth-year medical students.
• Participants were assigned to either an e-prescribing system (intervention) or a traditional prescribing platform (control).
• Prescriptions were assessed for errors, graded, categorized, and analyzed for differences between groups.

Main Results:

• Nearly all participants (98.8%) made prescribing errors.
• The e-prescribing group had more errors related to prescribed amounts (71.4% vs. 19.0%) but fewer administrative errors (2.4% vs. 19.0%).
• Prescribing-method-specific errors were significantly more common in the traditional group (40.5% vs. 4.8%).

Conclusions:

• E-prescribing training is essential for medical students alongside traditional methods.
• Specific prescribing errors are associated with different prescribing modalities.
• Further research is needed to define e-prescribing competencies, and accessible training environments are required.