14 - Minimising the Risk of Prescribing Error

Summary

Many health professionals have extended patient care roles and prescribe as supplementary prescribers in partnership with independent prescribers or independently in their own right. However, all prescribers can be vulnerable to the same systemic causes of prescribing error. Prescribing errors, unless detected by another person involved in medicine use, lead to incorrect medicines being taken or given, with the risk of harm. All prescribers need to be vigilant and aware of potential causes of errors in decision making or miscommunication during the prescription writing process such as incomplete knowledge of the patient’s medical condition and treatment, look-alike and sound-alike drug names, illegible handwriting, use of abbreviations, unusual dose frequencies and drug selection errors in electronic prescribing systems. Prescribers also need to consider actions that should be taken to minimise the risk of prescribing error, e.g. knowledge of electronic the prescribing system, prescription writing standards (including for controlled drugs), prescribing of biological medicines by brand name and awareness of high-risk drugs linked to problematic polypharmacy in older adults