Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20392

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

Shaughnessy AF, D'Amico F.
Long-term experience with a program to improve prescription-writing skills.
Fam Med 1994; 26:(3):168-71
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8026662

Abstract:

BACKGROUND:

Prescription-writing skills are often overlooked in resident education. The present study evaluates a method of improving prescription-writing skills over a 2-year period.
METHODS:

This was a prospective, nonblinded, nonrandomized trial of an educational method to improve prescription-writing abilities of a class of 12 family practice residents. The intervention included evaluation and feedback of prescription writing by a clinical pharmacist using copies of prescriptions written over a 2-year period and applying previously defined criteria for determining prescription-writing errors.
RESULTS:

The baseline prescription-writing error rate was 14.4%. Over the 2-year intervention, prescription-writing errors by all residents decreased to 6.0% (P = .0002). Error rates decreased 58% from the baseline during the last 6 months of the intervention (P = .001).
CONCLUSIONS:

Continuous evaluation and feedback improved prescription-writing skills and improved communication with pharmacists and patients.

Keywords:
Drug Prescriptions* Evaluation Studies as Topic Family Practice/education* Feedback Hospitals, Community Humans Internship and Residency* Intervention Studies Medication Errors Outpatient Clinics, Hospital Pharmacists Prospective Studies Writing*