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Prescribers hold key to systemic reduction of medication error occurrences
Author(s) -
West John C.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of healthcare risk management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.221
H-Index - 16
eISSN - 2040-0861
pISSN - 1074-4797
DOI - 10.1002/jhrm.5600250308
Subject(s) - medication error , process (computing) , key (lock) , interlocking , reduction (mathematics) , computer science , risk analysis (engineering) , process management , component (thermodynamics) , medicine , medical emergency , intensive care medicine , reliability engineering , patient safety , business , computer security , engineering , health care , political science , geometry , mathematics , physics , law , thermodynamics , operating system
The medication use process is a complex system made up of interlocking component subsystems. These include the prescribing, dispensing and administration systems. Although great emphasis has been placed on preventing errors in the administration process, the prescribing process can be a common source of error. Physicians and other practitioners need to be aware of the sources of error in this subsystem and need to be receptive to ideas and suggestions for reducing prescribing errors, because only the prescribers themselves can fix this part of the system.