Preoperative tests: an Irish perspective.
Ir J Med Sci. 2011 Sep;180(3):683-6
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Assessment of service delays and impact on bed utilisation in a major teaching hospital.
Ir J Med Sci. 2011 Jun;180(2):533-5
Authors: Conway R, Murray FE
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Increasing economic pressures coupl…

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Handover rounds in Irish hospitals.
Ir J Med Sci. 2011 Mar;180(1):27-30
Authors: Murphy JN, Ryan CA
With the increasing complexities in medicine and the reduction in working hours, shift work patterns are emerging for …

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Improving venous thromboembolic disease prophylaxis in medical inpatients: a role for education and audit.
Ir J Med Sci. 2011 Mar;180(1):163-6
Authors: Kent BD, Nadarajan P, Akasheh NB, Sulaiman I, Karim S, Cooney S, Lane SJ, …

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Determining the frequency of prescription errors in an Irish hospital.

Ir J Med Sci. 2010 Jun;179(2):183-6

Authors: Bates K, Beddy D, Whirisky C, Murphy M, O’Mahony JB, Mealy K

BACKGROUND: Faults in writing prescriptions are a common source of medical error. Iatrogenic injury due to medication error increases patient morbidity and hospital stay, thereby encouraging litigation. AIM: To assess the accuracy and legibility of the prescriptions in patients’ medication charts. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational study examined prescribing records of inpatients randomly selected in two surgical wards. Medication charts were assessed by a committee consisting of a nurse, a pharmacist and a doctor for omission and legibility of prescribing information. RESULTS: Important patient information and medication administration details were frequently omitted from charts. Overall, 27% of individual prescriptions had potential to cause prescription error because of illegibility or omission of medication administration details. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate that prescription error frequently occurs in the clinical workplace and may contribute to medical error. Improving legibility of handwriting and use of novel prescribing devices may reduce prescription error.

PMID: 20191327 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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Related Articles

Alcohol, cognitive impairment and the hard to discharge acute hospital inpatients.

Ir J Med Sci. 2008 Jun;177(2):141-5

Authors: Popoola A, Keating A, Cassidy E

AIM: To examine the role of alcohol and alcohol-related cognitive impairment in the clinical presentation of adults in-patients less than 65 years who are ‘hard to discharge’ in a general hospital. METHOD: Retrospective medical file review of inpatients in CUH referred to the discharge coordinator between March and September 2006. RESULTS: Of 46 patients identified, the case notes of 44 (25 male; age was 52.2 +/- 7.7 years) were reviewed. The average length of stay in the hospital was 84.0 +/- 72.3 days and mean lost bed days was 15.9 +/- 36.6 days. The number of patients documented to have an overt alcohol problem was 15 (34.1%). Patients with alcohol problems were more likely to have cognitive impairment than those without an alcohol problem [12 (80%) and 9 (31%) P = 0.004]. Patients with alcohol problems had a shorter length of stay (81.5 vs. 85.3 days; t = 0.161, df = 42, P = 0.87), fewer lost bed days (8.2 vs. 19.2 days; Mann-Whitney U = 179, P = 0.34) and no mortality (0 vs. 6) compared with hard to discharge patients without alcohol problem. CONCLUSION: Alcohol problems and alcohol-related cognitive impairment are hugely over-represented in acute hospital in-patients who are hard to discharge. Despite these problems, this group appears to have reduced morbidity, less lost bed days and a better outcome than other categories of hard to discharge patients. There is a need to resource acute hospitals to address alcohol-related morbidity in general and Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome in particular.

PMID: 18283510 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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