Demonstrating prescribing competence: a successful pilot of a prescription competency curriculum for family medicine residents.

BACKGROUND Poor medication prescribing skills among residents have been widely reported. METHODS We implemented a three-stage prescribing curriculum with eight interns in an urban family medicine residency. Clinical pharmacy faculty delivered two lectures, attended hospital rounds, and coprecepted in clinic. Evaluations were done by a written exam and clinical assessment. RESULTS All eight interns made at least one prescribing error on the exam. One error was considered potentially fatal. All interns passed on the second attempt and gained prescribing privileges after 6 months. CONCLUSIONS Our prescribing curriculum was practical and feasible. Further studies will determine whether the intervention improved prescribing habits and reduced clinical errors.