NHS: Digital patient records can prevent 1 million prescription errors
Introducing a single, shared digital prescription record across the NHS in England could prevent nearly one million medication errors each year, harm up to 16.000 fewer patients, and save up to 22 lives annually, according to a modeling study published online in the BMJ. The figures, based on the assumption that such a system could reduce medication errors by at least 10% and even 50%, could also save the NHS millions of pounds, the researchers say. Previously published research indicates that prescription errors cost the NHS 98 million pounds annually, account for over 180.000 bed days, and result in approximately 1700 deaths. A major nationwide NHS health and social care initiative is currently underway to enable different information systems to digitally exchange data, a process often referred to as system interoperability, the researchers explain…
