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Review
. 2019 Aug;42(4):136-138.
doi: 10.18773/austprescr.2019.037. Epub 2019 Aug 1.

The safety of computerised prescribing in hospitals

Melissa T Baysari  1   2 , Magdalena Z Raban  1   2
Affiliations
Review

The safety of computerised prescribing in hospitals

Melissa T Baysari et al. Aust Prescr. 2019 Aug.

Abstract

The implementation of computerised prescribing can result in large reductions in prescribing error rates. The flow-on effects to patient outcomes are not well studied

The reduction in errors is dependent on prescribers becoming proficient in using the electronic prescribing system. All potential safety benefits are therefore not expected to be achieved immediately

Electronic prescribing systems introduce new types of errors, most frequently errors in selection. Some of these errors can be prevented if the system is well designed

Computerised decision support embedded in electronic prescribing systems has enormous potential to improve medication safety. However, current support systems have a limited capacity to provide context-relevant advice to prescribers

Keywords: computer-assisted drug therapy; decision support systems; electronic prescribing; medication errors.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: none declared

Comment in

  • Errors in electronic prescribing systems.
    Goh S, Baysari MT, Raban MZ. Goh S, et al. Aust Prescr. 2020 Apr;43(2):66. doi: 10.18773/austprescr.2020.019. Epub 2020 Apr 1. Aust Prescr. 2020. PMID: 32346215 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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