The Epidemiology of Prescribing Errors

Abstract

The Institute of Medicine brought the shortcomings of the American health care system to the national spotlight with its report To Err Is Human.¹ Adverse drug events (ADEs), defined as injuries resulting from medical interventions related to the administration of a drug, are the most common cause of injury to hospitalized patients and are often preventable.^2-4 Computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE), an application in which prescribers write orders online, has been shown to decrease medication errors by 55% to 80%.^5-7 The Leapfrog Group,⁸ created to mobilize employer purchasing power to drive market share to hospitals that have demonstrated improvements in safety, has identified implementation of CPOE as critical to improving the safety of hospital care.