title: [Frequency of prescription and transcription errors for intravenous medications in four pediatric services].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Errors in the prescription and transcription of medications in pediatric services is a source of adverse events that can be prevented.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To determine and compare the frequency of prescription and transcription errors for intravenous drugs in four pediatric services in a regional general hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross sectional analysis of a probabilistic sample of 500 prescriptions of intravenous medications. Information was gathered using an instrument from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The detected prescription errors were illegible indications in 20%, lack of dosing indication in 11%, omission of the administration route in 24% and omission of the frequency of administration in 15%. Transcription errors were illegible transcription in 3%, not transcribing all indicated medications in 4% and transcription of medications that were not prescribed in 3%. Twenty one percent of prescriptions and 6% of transcriptions had at least one incorrect action. In the different services studied there was a significant association between the percentage of incorrect prescriptions and transcriptions and between illegible prescriptions and transcriptions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A high percentage of errors in prescription of intravenous medications and their transcriptions, was detected in these services. A better quality of care control is required.
authors.affiliation: Departamentos de Pediatría y Cirugía Infantil, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de La Frontera, Temuco, Chile. erivas@ufro.cl
authors.forename: Edith
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: Angélica
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rivas
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bustos
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006236:Handwriting; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D008499:Medical Records / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000145:classification / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*