Recently, the ºÚÁÏÉç has received concerns regarding prescription errors when there are multiple prescribers involved in the patient’s care. As a patient’s health team grows, there are more chances for miscommunication if appropriate steps are not taken.
In a recent example, a patient was prescribed a dangerous amount of a medication because three different providers prescribed various doses of the same medication without consulting one another. PharmaNet is an important tool in avoiding these types of medication errors, especially when there are multiple prescribers, including residents.
Prior to prescribing, registrants are reminded to check PharmaNet for most recently dispensed dosages, as well as electronic medical records when possible to catch important details in a patient’s history (e.g. discharges from hospital, medication reconciliations, etc.). These processes require extra steps but are in place to ensure pharmacists are provided with the correct information when dispensing medications and ultimately, for the safety of patients.