Skip to main content

Table 2 Description of the 117 new prescribing errors and status of the alert the next day.

From: Chronology of prescribing error during the hospital stay and prediction of pharmacist's alerts overriding: a prospective analysis

Status of the alert the next day

Alert

Overridden

Alert

Not overridden

Indeterminate*

Alerts posted within 1 or 2 days after prescriptions †

All

Error

N = 50

N = 46

N = 7

N = 14

N = 117

Type -- no (%)

          

Inappropriate choice of drug and/or drug dose

27

(55.6)

26

(57.4)

2

(28.6)

11

(78.6)

66

(56.4)

Drug-drug interaction

10

(20.0)

3

(6.5)

1

(14.3)

2

(14.3)

16

(13.7)

Wrong unit

4

(8.0)

1

(2.2)

1

(14.3)

1

(7.1)

7

(6.0)

Wrong route

1

(2.0)

1

(2.2)

0

(0.0)

0

(0.0)

2

(1.7)

Drug omission

8

(16.0)

14

(30.4)

2

(28.6)

0

(0.0)

24

(20.5)

Duplicate order

0

(0.0)

1

(2.2)

1

(14.3)

0

(0.0)

2

(1.7)

Potential severity -- no (%)

          

Life-threatening

0

(0.0)

0

(0.0)

0

(0.0)

0

(0.0)

0

(0.0)

Significant or serious

14

(28.0)

7

(15.2)

2

(28.6)

8

(57.1)

31

(26.5)

None

36

(72.0)

39

(84.8)

5

(71.4)

6

(42.9)

86

(73.5)

  1. * error occurring at the end of follow-up period (the day of discharge or 15th day of stay).
  2. † alerts posted within 1 or 2 days after prescriptions written during the week end.