Time-dependent drug-drug interactions (TDDIs) are drug combinations that result in a decreased drug effect due to coadministration of a second drug. Such interactions can be prevented by separately administering the drugs. This study attempted to reduce drug administration errors due to overridden TDDIs in a care provider order entry (CPOE) system. In four periods divided over two studies, logg...

Junior doctors are routinely asked to prescribe intravenous fluids (IVF) out-of-hours. Given time constraints and the number of unfamiliar patients, there is uncertainty about their prescription accuracy and safety, particularly in patients who have specific fluid balance requirements. An IVF prescription label was devised for the fluids section of the adult drug chart indicating important pati...

The Wisconsin Antibiotic Resistance Network (WARN) was launched in 1999 to educate physicians and the public about judicious antimicrobial drug use. Public education included radio and television advertisements, posters, pamphlets, and presentations at childcare centers. Physician education included mailings, susceptibility reports, practice guidelines, satellite conferences, and presentations....

Although published randomized trial evidence can reduce prescribing of less efficacious or potentially harmful medications, prepublication alerts are often released before the clinical trial results are published. It is unknown whether prepublication alerts can effectively impact population-based prescribing of medications by both primary care physicians and specialists. In this study, we explo...

INTRODUCTION The act of indicating one or more drugs to be taken by the patient, its dosage, and the interval of the treatment is known as prescribing. It is a dynamic and individualized clinical process. Cultural, social, economic and promotional factors can influence the pattern of prescription. Thus the present study was conducted to evaluate the drug prescription knowledge in third year and...

A medication error is a failure in the treatment process that leads to, or has the potential to lead to, harm to the patient. Medication errors can occur in deciding which medicine and dosage regimen to use (prescribing faults--irrational, inappropriate, and ineffective prescribing, underprescribing, overprescribing); writing the prescription (prescription errors); manufacturing the formulation...

OBJECTIVE To analyze the prevalence and types of prescribing and dispensing errors occurring with high-alert medications and to propose preventive measures to avoid errors with these medications. INTRODUCTION The prevalence of adverse events in health care has increased, and medication errors are probably the most common cause of these events. Pediatric patients are known to be a high-risk gr...

OBJECTIVE To assess whether patients receiving opioid substitution therapy (OST) in general practice cause other patients sufficient distress to change practices--a perceived barrier that prevents general practitioners from prescribing OST. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey of consecutive adult patients in the waiting rooms of a network of research ...