Prescribing errors in two ICU wards in a large teaching hospital in Iran

Abstract

The rate of prescription errors in ICU wards was high and it was higher in crowded wards. Illegible orders were the majority of important errors in prescriptions. In the majority of orders, physicians did not write the drug form and drug dose which could be potentially harmful to patients. It is recommended that a computerized physician order should be used because it can decrease prescription errors.