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Long-term experience with a program to improve prescription-writing skills
1Harrisburg Hospital/Penn State University Family Practice Residency Program, Pa.
Family Medicine
|March 1, 1994
Summary
Continuous pharmacist feedback significantly improved prescription-writing skills for family practice residents. This educational method reduced prescription errors by over 50% within two years.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Pharmacology
- Family Medicine
Background:
- Prescription-writing proficiency is a critical yet often neglected aspect of resident training.
- Effective prescription practices are essential for patient safety and therapeutic outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate an educational intervention designed to enhance prescription-writing skills among family practice residents.
- To assess the impact of a structured feedback program on prescription error rates over a two-year period.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, nonblinded, nonrandomized trial involving 12 family practice residents.
- Intervention consisted of ongoing evaluation and feedback on prescription writing by a clinical pharmacist.
- Prescription errors were identified using predefined criteria over a 24-month period.
Main Results:
- The baseline prescription-writing error rate was 14.4%.
- A significant reduction in errors was observed, decreasing to 6.0% by the end of the intervention (P = .0002).
- Error rates declined by 58% from baseline during the final six months of the study (P = .001).
Conclusions:
- Continuous evaluation and feedback from clinical pharmacists demonstrably improve residents' prescription-writing skills.
- The intervention fostered better communication and collaboration between residents, pharmacists, and patients.
- This educational approach offers a viable strategy for enhancing medication safety in residency programs.