New CDS tool may help eliminate prescription mistakes

Those on prescription medications in North Carolina may be interested in new ways to reduce potential errors. An October 2020 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association showed that clinical decision support, or CDS, may be an effective way of finding errors. The CDS tool is based on machine learning and performed well in initial studies.

Researchers in Paris used a CDS tool that was trained using data from over 10,000 patients. The new technology is a hybrid of AI decision-support software. It uses both a rule-based expert system and machine learning to make predictions at the level of the patient. This is in contrast to other systems that focus on individual prescription orders.

How the tool could combat prescription errors

Researchers found the tool to be more accurate at finding and intercepting prescription errors than current existing technologies. The potential for these new findings is monumental. The Food and Drug Administration receives more than 100,000 reports in the United States each year of suspected prescription errors. Intercepting these errors before a prescription is given to a patient could help save lives and prevent illness and injuries from medication contraindications.

Medication errors are common

Medication errors are some of the most common mistakes made in the medical industry. The Institute of Medicine of the National Academies found that medication errors harm an estimated 1.5 million people each year. Doctors are responsible for ensuring that prescription names and dosages are written clearly and that they don’t contraindicate any of the patient’s other medications or medical conditions.

Those who are harmed by a medical error may be able to file a civil suit against a medical practitioner for a suspected medical malpractice case. If a lawyer proves that a doctor behaved negligently, the patient may receive medical and compensatory damages.