Editing Medical error (section)

=== Medications ===
Reducing errors in prescribing, dispensing, compounding/formulating, labelling, and handling medications is a priority and has been the subject of systematic reviews and studies. Examples of areas to reduce medication errors and improve safety include: Training professionals or using databases to compare new and previous prescribed medications to prevent mistakes, also known as "[[medication reconciliation]]",<ref>{{Citation |last=Barnsteiner |first=Jane H. |title=Medication Reconciliation |year=2008 |url=http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2648/ |work=Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses |editor-last=Hughes |editor-first=Ronda G. |access-date=2023-07-17 |series=Advances in Patient Safety |place=Rockville (MD) |publisher=Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US) |pmid=21328749 |archive-date=March 31, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230331081303/https://ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK2648/ |url-status=live }}</ref> prescribing through an electronic medical record system and/or using decision support systems that has automatic checks in place, with computerized alerts or other novel technologies, the use of machine-readable [[barcode]]s, healthcare professional and patient training or supplementary educational programs, adding in an extra step for double checking prescriptions (both at the level of the healthcare professional and at the administrator level), using standardized protocols in the workplace that include a check-list, physical markings or writing on syringes to indicate correct doses, programmes that include the person being able to administer the medications themselves, ensuring that the workplace or environment is well-lit, monitoring and adjusting healthcare professional working hours, and the use of an interdisciplinary team.<ref name=":1" /> There is weak evidence indicating that a number of these suggested interventions may be helpful in reducing errors or improving patient safety, however, in general, evidence supporting the best or most effective intervention for reducing errors not strong.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Khalil |first1=Hanan |last2=Bell |first2=Brian |last3=Chambers |first3=Helen |last4=Sheikh |first4=Aziz |last5=Avery |first5=Anthony J |date=2017-10-04 |editor-last=Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group |title=Professional, structural and organisational interventions in primary care for reducing medication errors |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |language=en |volume=2017 |issue=10 |pages=CD003942 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD003942.pub3 |pmc=6485628 |pmid=28977687}}</ref> Evidence supporting improvements aimed at reducing medical errors in medications for pediatric hospitalized patients is also very weak.<ref name=":2">{{Cite journal |last1=Maaskant |first1=Jolanda M |last2=Vermeulen |first2=Hester |last3=Apampa |first3=Bugewa |last4=Fernando |first4=Bernard |last5=Ghaleb |first5=Maisoon A |last6=Neubert |first6=Antje |last7=Thayyil |first7=Sudhin |last8=Soe |first8=Aung |date=2015-03-10 |editor-last=Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care Group |title=Interventions for reducing medication errors in children in hospital |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |issue=3 |pages=CD006208 |language=en |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD006208.pub3|pmid=25756542 |pmc=10799669 }}</ref>