Aims and objectives. To examine the incidence of
prescribing errors in a main public hospital in Pakistan and to assess the
impact of introducing electronic prescribing system on the reduction of their
incidence.
Background. Medication errors are persistent in today’s healthcare
system. The impact of electronic prescribing on reducing errors has not been
tested in developing world.
Design. Prospective review of medication and discharge medication
charts before and after the introduction of an electronic inpatient record and
prescribing system.
Methods. Inpatient records (n = 3300) and 1100
discharge medication sheets were reviewed for prescribing errors before and
after the installation of electronic prescribing system in 11 wards. Results.
Medications (13,328 and 14,064) were prescribed for inpatients, among which
3008 and 1147 prescribing errors were identified, giving an overall error rate
of 22·6% and 8·2% throughout paper-based and electronic prescribing, respectively.
Medications (2480 and 2790) were prescribed for discharge patients, among which
418 and 123 errors were detected, giving an overall error rate of 16·9% and
4·4% during paper-based and electronic prescribing, respectively.
Conclusion. Electronic prescribing has a significant effect on the
reduction of prescribing errors. Relevance to clinical practice.Prescribing
errors are commonplace in Pakistan public hospitals. The study evaluated the
impact of introducing electronic inpatient records and electronic prescribing
in the reduction of prescribing errors in a public hospital in Pakistan.
Attachment | Size |
---|---|
Electronic_Prescribing_Reduces_Prescribing_Error_in_Public_Hospitals.pdf | 54.76 KB |