@article{11174,
  author = {T. S. Lesar and L. L. Briceland and K. Delcoure and J. C. Parmalee and V. Masta-Gornic and H. Pohl},
  title = {Medication prescribing errors in a teaching hospital.},
  abstract = {<p>A study of prescribing errors committed by physicians that occurred in a tertiary-care teaching hospital is reported. From a total of 289 411 medication orders written during the 1-year study period, 905 prescribing errors were detected and averted, of which 522 (57.7%) were rated as having potential for adverse consequences. The overall detected error rate was 3.13 errors for each 1000 orders written and a rate of 1.81 significant errors per 1000 orders. The error rate (4.01 per 1000 orders) was greatest between 12 pm and 3:59 pm. First-year postgraduate residents were found to have a higher error rate (4.25 per 1000 orders) than other prescriber classes, and obstetrics/gynecology services (3.54 per 1000 orders) and surgery/anesthesia services (3.42 per 1000 orders) had greater error rates than other services. The study results demonstrate the significant risk to patients from medication prescribing errors. Educational, operational, and risk-management activities should include efforts directed at reducing the risk to patients from prescribing errors.</p>},
  year = {1990},
  journal = {JAMA},
  volume = {263},
  pages = {2329-34},
  month = {05/1990},
  issn = {0098-7484},
  language = {eng},
}