The epidemiology of medication errors: How many, how serious?

British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology

Volumn 67, Issue 6, 2009, Pages 621-623

  Schachter, Michael ^a  

^a ST MARY S HOSPITAL   (United Kingdom)

Author keywords

Computerized prescribing; Medication errors; Prescribing errors

Indexed keywords

CAPTOPRIL; DIAZEPAM; LOW MOLECULAR WEIGHT HEPARIN; METOLAZONE; PHENYTOIN;

DRUG SAFETY; DRUG TOLERABILITY; ELECTROLYTE DISTURBANCE; HOSPITAL ADMISSION; HUMAN; INCIDENCE; MEDICAL EDUCATION; MEDICATION ERROR; NOTE; PATIENT SAFETY; PHARMACIST; POSTGRADUATE EDUCATION; PRESCRIPTION; PRIORITY JOURNAL; STROKE;

DRUG PRESCRIPTIONS; DRUG THERAPY, COMPUTER-ASSISTED; HUMANS; MEDICATION ERRORS; MEDICATION SYSTEMS, HOSPITAL; PHYSICIAN'S PRACTICE PATTERNS;

EID: 67649488248     PISSN: 03065251     EISSN: 13652125     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2125.2009.03418.x     Document Type: Note

References (22)

1. Barber ND, Dean BS. The incidence of medication errors and ways to reduce them. Clin Risk 1998 4 : 103 6.
2. Leape LL, Bates DW, Cullen DJ, Cooper J, Demonaco HJ, Gallivan T, Hallisey R, Ives J, Laird N, Laffel G et al. Systems analysis of adverse drug events. ADE prevention study group. JAMA 1995 274 : 35 43.
3. Bates DW, Cullen DJ, Laird N, Petersen LA, Small SD, Servi D, Laffel G, Sweitzer BJ, Shea BF, Hallisey R et al. Incidence of adverse drug events and potential adverse drug events: implications for prevention. ADE prevention study group. JAMA 1995 274 : 29 34.
4. Dean Franklin B, Vincent C, Schachter M, Barber N. The incidence of prescribing errors on hospital inpatients. An overview of the research methods. Drug Saf 2005 28 : 891 900. (Pubitemid 41428545)
5. Ferner RE. The epidemiology of medication errors: the methodological difficulties. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2009 67 : 614 20.
6. Dean B, Schachter M, Vincent C, Barber N. Prescribing errors in hospital inpatients: their incidence and clinical significance. Qual Saf Health Care 2002 11 : 340 4.
7. Devine EB, Wilson-Norton JL, Lawless NM, Hansen RN, Hazlet TK, Kelly K, Hollingworth W, Blough DK, Sullivan SD. Characterization of prescribing errors in an internal medicine clinic. Am J Health Syst Pharm 2007 64 : 1062 70.
8. Van Doormal JE, vsn den Bemt PMLA, Mol PGM, Zaal RJ, Egberts ACG, Haajier-Ruskamp FM, Kosterink JGW. Medication errors: the impact of prescribing and transcribing errors on preventable harm in hospitalised patients. Qual Saf Health Care 2009 18 : 22 7.
9. Ross S, Bond C, Rothnie H, Thomas S, Macleod MJ. What is the scale of prescribing errors committed by junior doctors? A systematic review. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2009 67 : 629 40.
10. Knudsen P, Herborg H, Mortensen AR, Knudsen M, Hellebek A. Preventing medication errors in community pharmacy: frequency and seriousness of medication errors. Qual Saf Health Care 2007 16 : 291 6.
11. Thomsen LA, Winterstein AG, Søndergaard B, Haugbølle LS, Melander A. Systematic review of the incidence and characteristics of preventable adverse drug events in ambulatory care. Ann Pharmacother 2007 41 : 1411 26.
12. Dean B, Schachter M, Vincent C, Barber N. Causes of prescribing errors in hospital inpatients: a prospective study. Lancet 2002 359 : 1373 8.
13. Heaton A, Webb D, Maxwell SRJ. Undergraduate preparation for prescribing: the views of 2413 UK medical students and recent graduates. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2008 66 : 128 34.
14. The GMC Education Committee. How prepared are medical graduates to begin practice? A comparison of three diverse UK medical schools online]. Available at http://www.gmc-uk.org/about/research/REPORT%20- preparedness%20of%20medical%20grads.pdf (last accessed 17 February 2009).
15. Gommans J, McIntosh P, Bee S, Allan W. Improving the quality of written prescriptions in a general hospital: the influence of 10 years of serial audits and targeted interventions. Intern Med J 2008 38 : 243 8.
16. Kucukarslan SN, Peters M, Mlynarek M, Nafziger DA. Pharmacists on rounding teams reduce preventable adverse drug events in hospital general medicine units. Arch Intern Med 2003 163 : 2014 8.
17. Agrawal A. Medication errors: prevention using information technology systems. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2009 67 : 681 6.
18. Ammenwerth E, Schnell-Inderst P, Machan C, Siebert U. The effect of electronic prescribing on medication errors and adverse drug events: a systematic review. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2008 15 : 585 600.
19. Donyai P, O'Grady K, Jacklin A, Barber N, Franklin BD. The effects of electronic prescribing on the quality of prescribing. Br J Clin Pharmacol 2008 65 : 230 7.
20. General Medical Council. Tomorrow's Doctors 2009: a draft for consultation online]. Available at (last accessed 17 February 2009).
21. Royal College of Physicians. Innovating for health: patients, physicians, the pharmaceutical industry, and the NHS. Report of a Working Party. London: Royal College of Physicians, 2009; 24-8.
22. Horton R. The UK's NHS and Pharma: from schism to symbiosis. Lancet 2009 373 : 435 6.