Errors Associated with Hospital Discharge Prescriptions: A Multi-Incident Analysis

During a hospital stay, a patient’s medication regimen may undergo multiple changes. If these changes are not captured accurately on the patient’s discharge prescription, these discrepancies can lead to medication errors. A recent study of the medication lists for geriatric patients at the time of discharge from hospital revealed that 56% of patients experienced at least 1 prescribing error.1 Such errors can result in patient harm, readmission to hospital, and/or an increased workload for care providers, as well as having the potential to undermine patients’ confidence in the healthcare system. A multi-incident analysis of medication incidents involving discharge prescriptions was conducted to better understand the challenges around the creation and processing of hospital discharge prescriptions and to share opportunities for system-based improvements.