Omitted information was the most common error within computerized prescribing systems, according to a study in the Journal of American Medical Informatics Association.
Of the study's 3,850 monitored prescriptions over a four-week span in 2008, almost 12 percent (452 prescriptions) contained an error. Of those errors, roughly 61 percent involved missing information.
The study, headed by Karen Nanji, MD, of Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital, also found that 163 of the errors could have harmed the patient. The overall error rate of e-prescriptions is similar to manually handwritten prescription error rates, the study said.
Read JAMIA's study on errors in e-prescribing systems.
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Of the study's 3,850 monitored prescriptions over a four-week span in 2008, almost 12 percent (452 prescriptions) contained an error. Of those errors, roughly 61 percent involved missing information.
The study, headed by Karen Nanji, MD, of Boston-based Massachusetts General Hospital, also found that 163 of the errors could have harmed the patient. The overall error rate of e-prescriptions is similar to manually handwritten prescription error rates, the study said.
Read JAMIA's study on errors in e-prescribing systems.
Related Articles on Computerized Physician Order Entry:
Study: E-Prescribing in Ambulatory Care Not That Helpful
5 Steps Toward Successfully Implementing Computerized Physician Order Entry
HIMSS Makes Available New CPOE Wiki