Prescription errors. Legibility and drug name confusion
R. T. Brodell, S. E. Helms, I. KrishnaRao and D. L. Bredle
Department of Internal Medicine, Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown, USA.
Inadvertent drug substitution occurred in several instances in our
practices due to the combination of the physician's illegible handwriting
on prescriptions and the pharmacist's misinterpretation of subtle clues,
which might have prevented the errors. The literature on the legibility of
physician handwriting is reviewed. Our specific recommendations include
using preprinted prescription pads, training staff assistants who write
prescriptions, printing complete directions on each prescription, and
aggressively educating each patient about the name and purpose of all drugs
being prescribed. Patients are encouraged to bring their medications to
each office visit to identify potential errors.
