Preventing medication prescribing errors.

Medication errors may arise in the manufacture, preparation, distribution, and administration of drugs. Physician prescribing errors are of particular importance as such errors have been associated with significant adverse patient outcomes. The pharmacist plays an important role in preventing such errors from reaching the patient. The purpose of this article is to define and illustrate the various error types and the mental attitudes that cause individuals to prescribe errant orders. Through better understanding of the cause of prescribing errors, pharmacists may be able to improve the error prevention services they provide. Based on the error types discussed and their causes, recommendations are proposed to decrease the frequency of such errors and thereby improve the quality of patient care.