Study: Abbreviations cause 5 percent of drug errors

Here's another argument for the adoption of eprescribing. Prescription abbreviations generated about 5 percent of all medication errors between 2004 and 2006, according to a Joint Commission study. Researchers with the Joint Commission studied 643,151 total medication errors reported through medication error-reporting program Medmarx. Of those, the Commission said 4.7 percent (or 29,974 errors) happened because of abbreviation use.

The abbreviation most frequently associated with errors was QD, substituted for "once daily." This abbreviation is on a Joint Commission list of "do not use" abbreviations.

To learn more about the study:
- read this Modern Healthcare article

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