Errors in drug prescribing.
This study reports on early results following the introduction of one measure of medication prescription errors, that being the prescribing of a drug for which there is an 'alert' notice, into The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards Accreditation process. Characteristics of hospitals reporting of zero and non-zero errors were analysed using a logistic model. After adjusting for other hospital characteristics and duration of data collection, hospitals over 100 beds were more likely to report medication errors compared to hospitals with 1-100 beds. Reporting of these prescribing errors was not associated with the particular type or location of the hospital. However, as a result of monitoring of this indicator, a number of hospitals reported an increase in their quality assurance activities. It is a sentinel event and not a rate based indicator and, as a performance measure, is of greater value as an internal, rather than external, review mechanism.
ACHS Care Evaluation Program, St Vincents Hospital, Fitzroy, Vic., Australia.
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D001315:Australia; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D006742:Hospital Bed Capacity; D006801:Humans; D007591:Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D012307:Risk Factors