title: Reducing prescribing errors in paediatric patients by assessment and feedback targeted at prescribers.
abstract: Prescribing errors are the most common type of medical errors and can result in harm particularly in young children. Doctors were enrolled in a programme of written assessment in prescribing skills and individualized feedback. Pharmacists audited the impact. The setting was the paediatric wards and neonatal unit of a District General Hospital. 16 doctors were tested and received feedback. A total of 110 errors were identified in this test, out of a 51 were classified as major including wrong dose and frequency, and prescribing medication the patient had an allergy to. Audit of impact of this intervention revealed a reduction of errors from 47 to 21, and patients affected from 19 to 11 per 100 (P = 0.001) emergency admissions compared to an audit before the intervention. An intervention combining a comprehensive multifaceted assessment and detailed feedback can lead to reduction of prescribing errors in paediatric trainees.
authors.affiliation: Luton & Dunstable Hospital National Health Service Foundation Trust, Lewsey Road, Luton LU40DZ, UK.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eisenhut
authors.forename: Blanche
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Skinner