title: Decreasing paediatric prescribing errors in a district general hospital.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In paediatric inpatients, medication errors occur as frequently as 1 in 4.2 drug orders, with up to 80% of these being prescribing errors.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  The children's unit of a district general hospital in West Yorkshire, UK.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prescribing errors and preventable adverse drug events
  
  
  METHODS
  (1) The introduction of a junior doctor prescribing tutorial. (2) The introduction of a bedside prescribing guideline.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The introduction of the junior doctor prescribing tutorial decreased the prescribing errors by 46%. The introduction of a bedside prescribing guideline did not decrease prescribing errors but may have been helpful to those doctors unable to attend a prescribing tutorial.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By investing time and providing appropriate written resources, we have been able to reduce our paediatric prescribing errors on the children's ward by almost half.
authors.affiliation: Airedale General Hospital, Skipton Road, Steeton, Keighley BD20 0HT, UK. amanda.davey@anhst.nhs.uk
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Britland
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Naylor
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D004502:Education, Medical, Continuing; D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000193:education; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D006113:United Kingdom