The (slowly) vanishing prescription pad.

Robert Steinbrook

Commentary

The (slowly) vanishing prescription pad.

July 23, 2008

Steinbrook R. N Engl J Med. 2008;359(2):115-7.

View more articles from the same authors.

This perspective discusses the proliferation of electronic vs. paper-based prescriptions, as well as how this new technology can improve efficiency, decrease errors, and potentially reduce costs.

PubMed citation

Available at

Related Resources From the Same Author(s)

Assessing the use of Google Translate for Spanish and Chinese translations of emergency department discharge instructions.

March 20, 2019

Personal accountability in healthcare: searching for the right balance.

September 12, 2012

Patient safety at ten: unmistakable progress, troubling gaps.

December 2, 2009

Trends influencing the cost of care and patient safety.

July 26, 2006

Could computerization harm patient safety?

July 12, 2006

Expected and unanticipated consequences of the quality and information technology revolutions.

June 21, 2006

Costly issues of an uncommunicative OR.

May 3, 2006

Multidisciplinary approach to inpatient medication reconciliation in an academic setting.

May 9, 2007

Two cultures in modern science and technology: for safety and validity does medicine have to update?

April 1, 2020

Seeking high reliability in primary care: leadership, tools, and organization.

May 28, 2014

Implementing a bar-code medication administration system.

January 21, 2009

Why diagnostic errors don't get any respect--and what can be done about them.

September 15, 2010

The end of the beginning: patient safety five years after 'To Err Is Human.'

March 6, 2005

Human performance breakdowns are rarely accidents: they are usually very poor choices with disastrous results.

March 6, 2005

A piece of my mind. Copy-and-paste.

June 14, 2006

Five ways you can reduce inappropriate prescribing in the elderly: a systematic review.

April 26, 2006

Anesthesia safety: model or myth? A review of the published literature and analysis of current original data.

March 6, 2005

Color coded medication safety system reduces community pediatric emergency nursing medication errors.

May 27, 2009

Payment innovations to improve diagnostic accuracy and reduce diagnostic error.

November 7, 2018

Progress in patient safety: a glass fuller than it seems.

August 28, 2013

Balancing "no blame" with accountability in patient safety.

October 7, 2009

Random safety auditing, root cause analysis, failure mode and effects analysis.

May 19, 2010

Did the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program reduce readmissions? An assessment of prior evidence and new estimates.

February 9, 2022

Preparing your hospital for compliance with The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals.

October 15, 2008

Forum: The 100,000 Lives Campaign: a scientific and policy review [with IHI response].

November 1, 2006

Results of a survey among GP practices on how they manage patient safety aspects related to point-of-care testing in every day practice.

April 22, 2015

Potential unintended consequences due to Medicare's "No Pay for Errors Rule"? A randomized controlled trial of an educational intervention with internal medicine residents.

June 23, 2010

Wrong-site surgery in Pennsylvania during 2015–2019: a study of variables associated with 368 events from 178 facilities.

January 20, 2021

The detection, analysis, and significance of physician clustering in medical malpractice lawsuit payouts.

January 25, 2017

Resolving the productivity paradox of health information technology: a time for optimism.

June 6, 2018

An education-service partnership to achieve safety and quality improvement competencies in nursing.

February 22, 2012

Academic year-end transfers of outpatients from outgoing to incoming residents: an unaddressed patient safety issue.

September 30, 2009

Applying Toyota Production System principles to a psychiatric hospital: making transfers safer and more timely.

September 2, 2009

Standardized orders for titrating vasopressors: do efforts to improve safety slow delivery of care?

September 11, 2019

Roundtable on public policy affecting patient safety.

March 16, 2011

Computer technology and clinical work: still waiting for Godot.

April 3, 2005

Monitoring patient safety in health care: building the case for surrogate measures.

February 8, 2006

The risk of adverse drug events and hospital-related morbidity and mortality among older adults with potentially inappropriate medication use.

February 28, 2007

Applying the Toyota Production System: using a patient safety alert system to reduce error.

July 11, 2007

The faces of errors: a case-based approach to educating providers, policy makers, and the public about patient safety.

March 6, 2005

Clinically missed cancer: how effectively can radiologists use computer-aided detection?

May 16, 2012

Measuring and comparing safety climate in intensive care units.

March 17, 2010

Error reduction and performance improvement in the emergency department through formal teamwork training: evaluation results of the MedTeams project.

March 27, 2005

June 15, 2016

Medication safety in the operating room: a survey of preparation methods and drug concentration consistencies in children's hospitals in the United States.

September 24, 2014

Can medical students identify a potentially serious acetaminophen dosing error in a simulated encounter? A case control study.

April 15, 2015

Clinical criteria to screen for inpatient diagnostic errors: a scoping review.

March 25, 2015

Financial incentives and mortality: taking pay for performance a step too far.

March 16, 2016

From To Err Is Human to Improving Diagnosis in Health Care: the risk management perspective.

March 2, 2016

An approach to assessing patient safety in hospitals in low-income countries.

June 3, 2015

Introducing the safety score audit for staff member and patient safety.

July 16, 2014

Optimizing transitions of care to reduce rehospitalizations.

July 2, 2014

Association between hospital-reported Leapfrog Safe Practices scores and inpatient mortality.

April 1, 2009

Surgeons and systems working together to drive safety and quality.

March 29, 2023

Use of recalled devices in new device authorizations under the US Food and Drug Administration's 510(k) pathway and risk of subsequent recalls.

January 25, 2023

Improving the quality of drug error reporting.

September 22, 2010

Patient handoffs: standardized and reliable measurement tools remain elusive.

February 10, 2010

Engaging patients and family members in patient safety—the experience of the New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation.

April 15, 2005

When systems fail.

March 27, 2005

Identification of inpatient DNR status: a safety hazard begging for standardization.

January 2, 2008

Winning the battle for standardization.

November 7, 2007

Implementing a systematic response to medication errors.

October 31, 2007

Using a computerized sign-out system to improve physician–nurse communication.

January 18, 2006

Developing a medication patient safety program — infrastructure and strategy.

March 7, 2007

Mortality as a measure of quality: implications for palliative and end-of-life care.

August 22, 2007

Computerized physician order entry: helpful or harmful?

March 6, 2005

The next phase of health care improvement: what can we learn from social movements?

March 6, 2005

Another look at medical error.

March 6, 2005

Designing a strategy to promote safe, innovative off-label use of medications.

August 2, 2006

Are evidence-based practices associated with effective prevention of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers in US academic medical centers?

May 25, 2016

Portable advanced medical simulation for new emergency department testing and orientation.

May 10, 2006

Ensuring staff safety when treating potentially violent patients.

January 18, 2017

S-TEAMS: a truly multiprofessional course focusing on nontechnical skills to improve patient safety in the operating theater.

November 2, 2016

Establishing a safe container for learning in simulation: the role of the presimulation briefing.

October 8, 2014

Use of health information technology to reduce diagnostic errors.

August 21, 2013

Educational agenda for diagnostic error reduction.

July 24, 2013

Improving follow-up of high-risk psychiatry outpatients at resident year-end transfer.

January 30, 2005

Effective physician–nurse communication: a patient safety essential for labor and delivery.

January 30, 2005

Bringing diagnosis into the quality and safety equations.

October 3, 2012

Clinical decision support for early recognition of sepsis.

April 20, 2016

Computerised provider order entry combined with clinical decision support systems to improve medication safety: a narrative review.

April 30, 2014

Responsibility for quality improvement and patient safety: hospital board and medical staff leadership challenges.

July 21, 2010

Reporting adverse events to patients: a step-by-step approach.

June 9, 2010

The wisdom and justice of not paying for "preventable complications."

May 14, 2008

Medicare's decision to withhold payment for hospital errors: the devil is in the details.

January 30, 2008

Tracking progress in patient safety: an elusive target.

August 16, 2006

Health literacy, medication errors, and health outcomes: is there a relationship?

July 5, 2006

A trial of automated decision support alerts for contraindicated medications using computerized physician order entry.

June 29, 2005

The effects of hospital-physician financial integration on adverse incident rate: an agency theory perspective.

October 21, 2020

Health care risk managers' consensus on the management of inappropriate behaviors among hospital staff.

September 26, 2018

Overcoming diagnostic errors in medical practice.

May 24, 2017

What this computer needs is a physician: humanism and artificial intelligence.

January 17, 2018

The use of patient feedback by hospital boards of directors: a qualitative study of two NHS hospitals in England.

February 7, 2018

Improving the quality and safety of care on the medical ward: a review and synthesis of the evidence base.

January 14, 2015

Strategies to improve patient safety: the evidence base matures.

March 6, 2013

Reducing cognitive errors in dermatology: can anything be done?

November 6, 2013

On resident duty hour restrictions and neurosurgical training: review of the literature.

November 25, 2015

Clinical handovers between prehospital and hospital staff: literature review.

September 24, 2014

Physician Quality Officer: a new model for engaging physicians in quality improvement.

June 24, 2009

A system analysis of a suboptimal surgical experience.

February 4, 2009

Related Resources

Human factors and safety analysis methods used in the design and redesign of electronic medication management systems: a systematic review.

May 17, 2023

Annual Perspective

Improving Diagnostic Safety and Quality

April 26, 2023

Perspectives on Safety

Annual Perspective

Technology as a Tool for Improving Patient Safety

March 29, 2023

Disrespectful behavior in your workplace.

April 13, 2022

Annual Perspective

Annual Perspective: Topics in Medication Safety

March 31, 2022

WebM&M Cases

Medication Errors in Retail Pharmacies: Wrong Patient, Wrong Instructions.

July 28, 2021

ISMP List of Error-Prone Abbreviations, Symbols, and Dose Designations.

February 12, 2021

ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings: prescribing and transcribing-2019.

September 30, 2020

WebM&M Cases

A Mistaken Dose of Naloxone 

December 18, 2019

Medication errors: the year in review.

October 23, 2019

Ten ways to improve medication safety in community pharmacies.

August 7, 2019

How often do prescribers include indications in drug orders? Analysis of 4 million outpatient prescriptions.

July 10, 2019

Saving without compromising: teaching trainees to safely provide high value care.

April 17, 2019

A qualitative analysis of outpatient medication use in community settings: observed safety vulnerabilities and recommendations for improved patient safety.

April 17, 2019

March 27, 2019

In patient safety efforts, pharmacists gain new prominence.

January 23, 2019

A prescription for enhancing electronic prescribing safety.

December 12, 2018

Analysis of medication therapy discontinuation orders in new electronic prescriptions and opportunities for implementing CancelRx.

November 14, 2018

Development of a standardized, citywide process for managing smart-pump drug libraries.

August 1, 2018

Incorporating medication indications into the prescribing process.

May 9, 2018

Making Health Care Safer in Ambulatory Care Settings and Long Term Care Facilities (R18).

April 25, 2018

Communication failure: analysis of prescribers' use of an internal free-text field on electronic prescriptions.

March 7, 2018

"Use as directed" can cause confusion for both patients and practitioners.

September 14, 2016

The problem with medication reconciliation.

August 31, 2016

Pharmacist–physician communications in a highly computerised hospital: sign-off and action of electronic review messages.

August 24, 2016

Incorporating indications into medication ordering—time to enter the age of reason.

August 10, 2016

Opioid Epidemic & Health IT

May 18, 2016

Impact of a warning CPOE system on the inappropriate pill splitting of prescribed medications in outpatients.

January 21, 2015

How do community pharmacies recover from e-prescription errors?

January 7, 2015

How useful are medication patient information leaflets to older adults? A content, readability and layout analysis.

September 17, 2014

See More About The Topic

The (slowly) vanishing prescription pad.

Connect With Us

Sign up for Email Updates

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

The (slowly) vanishing prescription pad.

Connect With Us

Sign up for Email Updates

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

PSNet Log in

Submit Your Innovations

Continue as a Guest

Continue Logged In

Submit Your Innovations

Continue as a Guest

Continue logged in

New Users to the PSNet site