Situations that may be considered prescribing errors, depending on the individual clinical situation
| Results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Scenario | Round 1* | Round 2* | Code† |
| *Figures refer to the lower limit of the interquartile range, the median score (in bold), and the upper limit of the interquartile range. | |||
| †C = consensus; P = partial agreement; EQ = equivocal. | |||
| ‡The judges' comments suggested that major misspellings of a drug name that lead to ambiguity should be considered prescribing errors, whereas minor misspellings should not. | |||
| Prescribing a drug in a dose above the maximum dose recommended in the British National Formulary or data sheet | 4.75, 6, 7 | 5, 6, 6 | C, EQ |
| Misspelling a drug name‡ | 4, 5, 8 | 5, 5, 7 | C, EQ |
| Prescribing a dose that cannot readily be administered using the dosage forms available | 3.75, 6, 7 | 5, 6, 7 | C, EQ |
| Prescribing a dose regime (dose/frequency) that is not that recommended for the formulation prescribed | 5, 6, 7.25 | 5, 6, 6 | C, EQ |
| Continuing a prescription for a longer duration than necessary | 5, 6, 7.25 | 5, 6, 7 | C, EQ |
| Prescribing a drug that should be given at specific times in relation to meals without specifying this information on the prescription | 4, 6, 8 | 5, 6, 7 | C, EQ |
| Unintentionally not prescribing a drug for a clinical condition for which medication is indicated | 1.5, 5, 7.5 | 3.75, 5.5, 7.25 | P, EQ |