An audit of inpatient insulin prescriptions – how error relates to information source

Abstract

Background: The risk of hospital insulin prescription errors in the UK has remained unchanged despite the adoption of several national initiatives. This audit was conducted to evaluate whether the prescription errors were related to the information source used. Aims: To determine what sources of information are used at the time of hospital admission of patients with diabetes to obtain details of their insulin regimen and how different sources relate to prescription errors. Method: We examined the clinical notes of 85 patients with diabetes and confirmed the insulin doses with the patient or the carer administering insulin. Results: Only 44 out of 85 (52%) patients or carers administering insulin recalled being asked about insulin; prescription errors were slightly lower in these patients but overall insulin prescription error remains at one in four. Conclusion: The persisting inpatient insulin error rate calls for a review of how the information on insulin regimen is collected and used by the healthcare services.

Keywords

• Insulin prescription errors
• Diabetes inpatient