[Prescription errors in patients admitted to an internal medicine department from the emergency room].

Objective: To identify and quantify emergency room prescription errors upon patient admission in an internal medicine unit, assess their severity and causes, and evaluate their potential clinical impact.

Method: Discrepancies found between emergency room and internal medicine unit prescriptions were analyzed by 4th-year resident pharmacists. Prescription errors were collected and classified according to their severity and potential morbidity, and a medical analysis of service value was performed according to Overhage's method. Furthermore, pharmacist actions regarding therapeutic regimen optimization are described.

Results: Of 177 patients, 50 had prescription errors, for a total of 141 errors. Seven percent of prescriptions had an error. Mean errors per patient amounted to 0.8 (SD 1.51). Most commonly involved medications included anti-asthmatic and anti-infectious agents, and fluid therapy agents. On severity assessment 12.8% were considered severe, and 57.4% were considered significant. The main cause was omission of a needed therapy. Potential pharmacotherapeutic morbidity is related to adverse effects and cardiovascular disease. Medical assessment considered 12% very significant, and 52% significant. Pharmacist actions were directed towards effectiveness improvement in 57% of cases, and safety in 43.2% of cases.

Conclusions: Emergency departments, as main entry points for patient admission to hospital, should be considered a priority in prescription quality improvement programs.