Study Offers Recommendations for Improving E-Prescribing Systems to Prevent Errors

July 14, 2011 9:26 am Topics: Electronic prescriptions

A recent study analyzed the rate of error in different electronic prescribing systems and offered recommendations on improving such systems to decrease errors. A clinician panel studied 3,850 e-prescriptions generated in three states over a four-week period in 2008. The study concluded that 452, or almost 12%, of the 3,850 e-prescriptions contained 466 total errors. Of the total errors, 35%, or 163, were categorized as potential adverse drug events. The study also determined that error rates varied by e-prescribing system from 5.1% to 37.5%, and the authors concluded that some e-prescribing systems may more effectively prevent errors. The study “Errors Associated with Outpatient Computerized Prescribing Systems,” was published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association on June 29, 2011.