The art of prescribing

Abstract

Most junior doctors are unaware of the sizeable contribution that prescribing aberrations make to hospital adverse events and medicolegal activities. The incidence of drug-related adverse events in patients in hospital varies widely. It is estimated that about 7% of hospital admissions are related to medication problems, although this may rise to 30% in the elderly, and these account for 4–7000 deaths per year in the UK (Karch and Lasagna, 1975; Brennan et al, 1991; Dean et al, 2002).