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CONTEXT Electronic prescribing (EP) systems are advocated as a solution to minimise medication errors. Benefits in patient safety are often as a result of some clinical decision support (CDS) within the system. OBJECTIVE To study the characteristics of the CDS alerts generated within a commercially available EP system in use at a tertiary care paediatric hospital in the UK. METHODS Retrospective review and characterisation of CDS alerts recorded in the EP system over 1 year. RESULTS A total of 16 182 conflict alerts were recorded when ordering 26 836 items, of which 3507 (13 alerts per 100 prescription orders (95% confidence interval, 12.8 to 13.6)) were visible to the user. Eighty nine percent (3119/3507) of all visible alerts were overridden by the user at point of prescribing. Drug-allergy conflict alerts were the most accepted, and exact drug duplication alerts the least. CONCLUSION We found a high incidence of alert override, which is undesirable but consistent with that reported in the literature. The results suggest that the underlying algorithms for alert generation in many EP systems are not specific and need to be reviewed.

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OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence and severity rating of dose prescribing errors before and after the implementation of a commercially available electronic prescribing system at a tertiary care children's hospital. METHODS: Dose errors were identified using prescription review to detect errors. Severity rating was determined by five judges using a validated, reliable scoring tool. The mean score for each error was used as an index of severity. RESULTS: Dose prescribing errors occurred in 88 of the 3939 (2.2%) items prescribed for outpatients and inpatients, and on discharge prescriptions prior to the implementation of electronic prescribing (EP). After EP, there were 57 dose errors in 4784 (1.2%) items prescribed (1% absolute reduction (p<0.001 χ(2) test; 95% CI of difference in proportions -1.6% to -0.5%)). A decrease in the severity rating of dose errors was also seen: dose errors with potentially minor outcomes 35/3939 (0.89%) pre vs 21/4784 (0.44%) post (95% CI of difference in proportions -0.8% to -0.11%, p=0.009 χ(2) test); moderate outcome 46/3939 (1.17%) pre vs 33/4784 (0.69%) post (95% CI of difference in proportions -0.91% to -0.08, p=0.019, χ(2) test); severe outcome: 7/3939 (0.18%) pre vs 3/4784 (0.06%) post (95% CI of difference in proportions -0.31% to +0.04, p=0.11, χ(2) test). CONCLUSION: Electronic prescribing appears to reduce rates of dosing errors in paediatrics, but larger studies are required to assess the effect on the severity of these errors and in different settings.

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OBJECTIVE: To compare the incidence and severity rating of dose prescribing errors before and after the implementation of a commercially available electronic prescribing system at a tertiary care children's hospital. METHODS: Dose errors were identified using prescription review to detect errors. Severity rating was determined by five judges using a validated, reliable scoring tool. The mean score for each error was used as an index of severity. RESULTS: Dose prescribing errors occurred in 88 of the 3939 (2.2%) items prescribed for outpatients and inpatients, and on discharge prescriptions prior to the implementation of electronic prescribing (EP). After EP, there were 57 dose errors in 4784 (1.2%) items prescribed (1% absolute reduction (p<0.001 chi(2) test; 95% CI of difference in proportions -1.6% to -0.5%)). A decrease in the severity rating of dose errors was also seen: dose errors with potentially minor outcomes 35/3939 (0.89%) pre vs 21/4784 (0.44%) post (95% CI of difference in proportions -0.8% to -0.11%, p=0.009 chi(2) test); moderate outcome 46/3939 (1.17%) pre vs 33/4784 (0.69%) post (95% CI of difference in proportions -0.91% to -0.08, p=0.019, chi(2) test); severe outcome: 7/3939 (0.18%) pre vs 3/4784 (0.06%) post (95% CI of difference in proportions -0.31% to +0.04, p=0.11, chi(2) test). CONCLUSION: Electronic prescribing appears to reduce rates of dosing errors in paediatrics, but larger studies are required to assess the effect on the severity of these errors and in different settings.

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OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of an electronic prescribing (EP) system on the incidence and type of prescribing errors and the number of error-free visits. STUDY DESIGN: This was a before-and-after study conducted in a nephrology outpatient clinic at an acute tertiary care pediatric hospital. RESULTS: A total of 520 patients had 2242 items prescribed on 1141 prescriptions during the study period. The overall prescribing error rate was 77.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 75.3% to 79.4%) for handwritten items and 4.8% (95% CI = 3.4% to 6.7%) with EP. Before EP, 1153 (73.3%; 95% CI = 71.1% to 75.4%) items were missing essential information, and 194 (12.3%; 95% CI = 10.8% to 14%) were judged illegible. After EP, only 9 (1.4%; 95% CI = 0.7% to 2.6%) items were missing essential information, and illegibility errors were eliminated. The number of patient visits that were error-free increased from 21% to 90% (69% difference; 95% CI = 64% to 73.4%) after the implementation of EP. CONCLUSIONS: There was a high incidence of errors using handwritten prescriptions in the outpatient setting, with an overall error rate of 77.4%. EP significantly reduced errors related to completeness of prescriptions and eliminated legibility related errors.

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