• Euan A Sandilands, Karen Reid, Laura Shaw, D Nicholas Bateman, David J Webb, Neeraj Dhaun, and David C Kluth.
• NPIS Edinburgh, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, 51 Little France Crescent, Edinburgh, UK. euan.sandilands@luht.scot.nhs.uk
• Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2011 Jan 1;71(1):29-33.

What Is Already Known About This SubjectMedication errors, and particularly prescribing errors, are common in UK hospitals. Junior doctors make the majority of prescribing errors. Deficiencies in prescribing education and training have been closely linked to the high frequency of medication errors.What This Study AddsFocussed prescribing teaching can lead to an improvement in prescribing ability. Prescribing confidence can be significantly improved through education. Education is insufficient alone in eradicating prescribing errors.AimTo assess the impact of prescribing teaching on final year medical students.MethodsStudents randomly allocated to two hospitals completed a prescribing assessment. Prescribing teaching was delivered to the intervention group while no additional teaching was provided for the control group. All students then completed a second prescribing assessment.ResultsTeaching improved the assessment score: mean assessment 2 vs. 1, 70% vs. 62%, P= 0.007; allergy documentation: 98% vs. 74%, P= 0.0001; and confidence. However, 30% of prescriptions continued to include prescribing errors.ConclusionMedical students make significant errors in prescribing. Teaching improves ability and confidence but is insufficient alone in eradicating errors.© 2010 The Authors. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology © 2010 The British Pharmacological Society.

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