Testing a trigger tool as a method of detecting harm from medication errors in a UK hospital: a pilot study.

Objectives: The aim was to adapt a US adverse drug event (ADE) trigger tool for UK use, and to establish its positive predictive value (PPV) and sensitivity in comparison to retrospective health record review for the identification of preventable ADEs, in a pilot study on one hospital ward.

Methods: An established US trigger tool was adapted for UK use. We applied it retrospectively to 207 patients' health records, following up positive triggers to identify any ADEs (both preventable and non-preventable).

Methodological variability in detecting prescribing errors and consequences for the evaluation of interventions.

Purpose: To compare four methods of detecting prescribing errors (PE) in the same patient cohorts before and after an intervention (computerised physician order entry; CPOE) and to determine whether the impact of CPOE is identified consistently by all methods.

Methods: PEs were identified using (1) prospective detection by ward pharmacist; (2) retrospective health record review; (3) retrospective use of a trigger tool and (4) spontaneous reporting over two separate 4-week periods on one surgical ward in a UK teaching hospital.

Results: We reviewed 93 patients pre- and 114 post-CPOE.