A study published online in the Journal of Opioid Management suggests that many opioid prescriptions contain errors and deviate from guidelines. The researchers conducted a retrospective review of 510 opioid prescriptions processed at a single outpatient pharmacy during June 2016. 

They identified at least one error on 42 percent of prescriptions. Overall, 9 percent of prescriptions deviated from best practice guidelines, 21 percent failed to include two patient identifiers, and 41 percent were noncompliant with U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency rules. They note that 89 percent of handwritten prescriptions contained errors, compared to 0 percent of electronic health record (EHR) computer-generated prescriptions, and 12 percent of non-EHR computer-generated prescriptions. Learn more...