title: Automatic Errors: A Case Series on the Errors Inherent in Electronic Prescribing.
abstract: The adoption of electronic prescribing is on the rise, as it reduces medication errors compared to handwritten orders. The inadvertent dispensing of discontinued medications is a type of medication error that is less well described, but one that can lead to adverse events. Software for electronic prescriptions transmits orders for refills or new prescriptions, but not discontinuations, to the pharmacy. Medications that have been stopped are displayed only at the prescribing facility's electronic medical record (EMR). This report describes five cases in which the pharmacy dispensed electronically discontinued medications, two of which contributed to adverse outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Laura M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lourenco
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice (MC 886), University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, 833 South Wood Street, 164 PHARM, Chicago, IL, 60612-7230, USA.
authors.forename: Adam
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bursua
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice (MC 886), University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy, 833 South Wood Street, 164 PHARM, Chicago, IL, 60612-7230, USA. vjust@uic.edu.
authors.forename: Vicki L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Groo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D055695:Electronic Prescribing / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008508:Medication Errors; D008875:Middle Aged; D010594:Pharmacies
keywords: electronic prescribing; medication error; transitions of care