Long-term experience with a program to improve prescription-writing skills.
BACKGROUND
Prescription-writing skills are often overlooked in resident education. The present study evaluates a method of improving prescription-writing skills over a 2-year period.


METHODS
This was a prospective, nonblinded, nonrandomized trial of an educational method to improve prescription-writing abilities of a class of 12 family practice residents. The intervention included evaluation and feedback of prescription writing by a clinical pharmacist using copies of prescriptions written over a 2-year period and applying previously defined criteria for determining prescription-writing errors.


RESULTS
The baseline prescription-writing error rate was 14.4%. Over the 2-year intervention, prescription-writing errors by all residents decreased to 6.0% (P = .0002). Error rates decreased 58% from the baseline during the last 6 months of the intervention (P = .001).


CONCLUSIONS
Continuous evaluation and feedback improved prescription-writing skills and improved communication with pharmacists and patients.
Shaughnessy
A F
AF
Harrisburg Hospital/Penn State University Family Practice Residency Program, Pa.
D'Amico
F
F
D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005246:Feedback; D006764:Hospitals, Community; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008508:Medication Errors; D010044:Outpatient Clinics, Hospital; D010595:Pharmacists; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014956:Writing