When we think about wrong drug errors, we might envision a nurse or pharmacist who selected the wrong drug from its storage location because it looked like another drug, or a pharmacist or prescriber who selected the wrong drug from a computer screen because its name looked similar to the intended drug. Yet, wrong drug errors often arise when medications are prescribed inappropriately or are overused, sometimes leading to significant harm. These errors suggest that an important facet of medication safety is making sure the right drug is prescribed only when indicated.In the September 2011 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, Schiff and colleagues offered a set of principles to guide more conservative prescribing of medications intended to help ensure that patients receive the right drug only when indicated.
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