Table 1.

Example of e-prescription errors

Type of errors	Examples
Wrong quantity	Technician observation: Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (bactrim DS) 800–160 tablet, the sig (dosing direction) states “take 1 tab by mouth 2 times daily for 10 days, Qty 10. As the input technician is entering the prescription she notices the quantity should have been 20 to have enough medication for 10 days. The technician immediately calls the doctor’s office and the nurse picks up, who transfers the phone to the doctor. The doctor says he is “not so good at math.”
	Technician interview: “I don't know how they see it on their end. I just don't think they know how things are packaged. It's just like eye drops, they're either 5 ml or 10 ml or 15 ml. You know, and then they send over one [quantity 1]. Which one? You know, you can have three eye drops with three different sizes. Or creams too.”
Wrong dosing directions	Technician interview: “If we had given her ten days, and she only needed five days, then she had 20 extra pills lying around, and now what's she going to do with them, so?”
Wrong strength	Pharmacist interview: “It was an unintended dose increase [I think the omeprazole had simply gone from a 20 mg capsule to a 40mg].”
Wrong pharmacy	Pharmacist interview: “ The e-prescription was sent to another pharmacy instead of our pharmacy”