Premium
Prescription quality in an acute medical ward
Author(s) -
Alyamani Nayef A.,
Hopf Yvonne,
Williams David J.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.023
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1099-1557
pISSN - 1053-8569
DOI - 10.1002/pds.1830
Subject(s) - medicine , medical prescription , formulary , interquartile range , chart , emergency medicine , pharmacy , pediatrics , medical emergency , family medicine , nursing , statistics , mathematics
Purpose Prescribing is an effective and economical means of delivering health care. The aim of this study is to assess the quality of prescriptions in an Acute Medical Assessment Unit (AMAU) at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary (ARI). Methods Prescription data were collected from all available medication charts of patients admitted to the ward over a 2‐week period. Prescription quality indicators were divided into two categories: prescription chart related (e.g. complete patient information and absence of drug–drug interactions (DDIs)) and medication related (e.g. legibility of handwriting, generic prescribing and adherence to hospital's formulary). Results Patient identifiers were omitted in 4% ( n = 8) of the medication charts included in assessing prescribing quality. Patient allergies were omitted in 36% ( n = 76) of charts. At least one DDI was detected in 26% ( n = 55) of the charts. The mean number of medications prescribed per patient was seven (95%CI, 6.53–7.65). The median number of medication‐related prescribing errors per medication chart was two (interquartile range (IQR), 1–3). The distribution of these errors was significantly higher in charts with five or more medications ( p < 0.001). Conclusion This study demonstrates a relatively acceptable level of prescription quality compared to the published literature. However, the number of DDIs and level of allergy documentation are of concern emphasising the need for continued education in this field. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.