Complex working environment, not poor training, blamed for drug errors

The NHS should introduce a standard drug chart to reduce the risk of prescribing errors, say researchers who analysed mistakes in medication orders across 19 hospitals.

Tim Dornan, professor of medicine and clinical education at the University of Manchester, who led the research said, “There is a high degree of complexity in the working environment and introducing a standard drug chart in the NHS is a simple move to reduce that. At the moment if you go to a different hospital, there will be a different pro forma used and filling in the drug chart will be different.

“When a human being is making decisions whatever makes it easier to do the right thing will help reduce errors.” The NHS in …