During a recent study of a London hospital, 135 prescription errors were made in one week; of which, 25% were reported to be “potentially serious,” and likely to cause harm to the patient.

The study, published in Quality and Safety in Healthcare, a journal produced by the British Medical Association, was conducted by pharmacists at a London teaching hospital, who recorded the details of prescribing errors in all patients (excluding obstetric wards), over a four-week period.

Results showed the percentage of errors made was equivalent to 135 drug errors a week. One in four was deemed “potentially serious” and would have caused significant harm to the patient had they not been intercepted.

Forty-four percent of errors were made during hospital stays; 32% were made during admissions and 15% made at discharge.

Fifty-six percent of errors were made by senior house officials, whereas, junior officials were responsible for one in three.

The most common errors were made when prescribing paracetamol, morphine, diamorphine, metoclopramide and beclomethasone.

Sixty-one percent of errors concerned the dosage and/or timing of the medication; one of 10 errors involved the choice of the drug.

According to lead author of the study, Dr. Bryony Dean, of London’s School of Pharmacy, five potentially serious mistakes a day is “not acceptable.”

SOURCE: Quality and Safety in Healthcare, December 2002; Guardian Unlimited, www.guardian.co.uk, December 5, 2002.