Medication-Prescribing Errors in a Teaching Hospital

Abstract

The results of this study suggest there may exist a progressively increasing risk of adverse drug events for hospitalized patients. The increased rate of errors is possibly associated with increases in the intensity of medical care and use of drug therapy. Limited changes in the characteristics of prescribing errors occurred, as similar type errors were found to be repeated with increasing frequency. New errors were encountered as new drug therapies were introduced. Health care practitioners and health care systems must incorporate adequate error reduction, prevention, and detection mechanisms into the routine provision of care.