Table 3.
Frequency of prescribing errors by error type
| Error type | Errors | |
|---|---|---|
| N | % (95 % CI) | |
| Need for drug therapy | ||
| Omission on admission | 3197 | 28.46 (26.96–29.95) |
| Omission on rewrite of prescription chart | 105 | 0.93 (0.72–1.15) |
| Omission on discharge | 675 | 6.01 (5.29–6.72) |
| Premature discontinuation | 21 | 0.19 (0.1–0.27) |
| Drug not prescribed but indicated | 92 | 0.82 (0.63–1.01) |
| Continuation for longer than needed | 84 | 0.75 (0.57–0.93) |
| No indication | 109 | 0.97 (0.76–1.18) |
| Duplication | 605 | 5.38 (4.85–5.92) |
| Selection of a specific drug | ||
| Significant allergy | 38 | 0.34 (0.23–0.45) |
| Clinical contra-indication | 120 | 1.07 (0.86–1.27) |
| Continuation after ADR | 24 | 0.21 (0.12–0.31) |
| Drug interaction | 60 | 0.53 (0.39–0.68) |
| Unintentional prescription of drug | 344 | 3.06 (2.71–3.42) |
| Selection of dosage regimen | ||
| No maximum dose | 396 | 3.52 (3.1–3.95) |
| Drug interaction not taken into account | 14 | 0.12 (0.05–0.2) |
| Dose/rate mismatch | 1 | 0.01 (0–0.03) |
| No dosage alteration after levels out of range | 6 | 0.05 (0.01–0.1) |
| Daily dose divided incorrectly | 49 | 0.44 (0.3–0.57) |
| Overdose | 948 | 8.44 (7.88–8.99) |
| Underdose | 1226 | 10.91 (10.24–11.58) |
| Administration of drug | ||
| Incorrect route | 117 | 1.04 (0.81–1.27) |
| Incorrect formulation | 403 | 3.59 (3.18–3.99) |
| Administration times incorrect/missing | 736 | 6.55 (6.01–7.09) |
| IV instructions incorrect/missing | 106 | 0.94 (0.69–1.2) |
| Start date incorrect/missing | 84 | 0.75 (0.41–1.09) |
| Provide drug product | ||
| Product/formulation not specified | 450 | 4.01 (3.56–4.45) |
| Strength/dose missing | 850 | 7.57 (7–8.14) |
| Route missing | 111 | 0.99 (0.77–1.2) |
| No signature | 210 | 1.87 (1.55–2.19) |
| Controlled drug requirements incorrect/missing | 53 | 0.47 (0.33–0.61) |
| Not recorded | 1 | 0.01 (0–0.03) |
| Total | 11,235 | 100 |
ADR adverse drug reaction, CI confidence interval, IV intravenous