Number and percentages of prescribing errors across all 11 wards studied
| Type of prescribing error | No of errors (percentage of all errors) | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Incomplete prescriptions | 161 (41.2) | Missing essential information in the prescription, such as missing the route of administration, the dose intended by the prescriber or prescriber’s signature |
| Use of abbreviations | 94 (24.0) | 15 mmol of NaPO4 written instead of sodium phosphate |
| Incorrect dose | 44 (11.3) | A 6-month-old patient in NICU was prescribed morphine sulfate 5 mg instead of the correct dose of 96 µg |
| Incorrect frequency | 26 (6.6) | A doctor prescribed metronidazole 45 mg intravenous twice daily instead of the correct frequency of three times a day |
| Illegible prescriptions | 14 (3.6) | The prescriber wrote ‘i’ on the frequency section of the prescription; when contacted, the prescriber said ‘it means to be given at night’ |
| Incorrect rate of infusion | 14 (3.6) | Doctor prescribed midazolam intravenous infusion 250 mg at a rate of 6 mg/kg/min; the rate should be 6 µg/kg/min |
| Incorrect route | 5 (1.3) | A doctor prescribed haloperidol to be given via the intravenous route instead of orally |
| Miscellaneous | 33 (8.4) | A doctor prescribed oral clonazepam 20 mg twice daily instead of the intended drug—clobazam A prescription of diclofenac for a patient on warfarin (drug interaction) |
| Total | 391 |