Abstract
With evidence on gaps between expectations of entering residents and their performance in both medication ordering and prescription writing, our study is an attempt to document the extent to which related topics are being covered in undergraduate medical education. Results received from an online survey conducted through the American Medical Student Association found that a high percentage of clinical year students had little or no experience in writing or ordering prescriptions. Our results suggest that there is a lack of adequate coverage of these topics and this, at least partly, could explain the higher medication errors among entering residents.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Ginzburg R, Cohrssen A. (2007). Demonstrating prescribing competence: a successful pilot of a prescription competency curriculum for family medicine residents. Family Med J. 2007;39(10):703–5.
Honey BL, Bray WM, Gomez MR, Condren M. Frequency of prescribing errors by medical residents in various training programs. J Patient Saf 2014;00: 00.
Thomas EJ, Studdert DM, Newhouse JP, et al. Costs of medical injuries in Utah and Colorado. Inquiry. 1999;36:255–64.
Johnson WG, Brennan TA, Newhouse JP, et al. The economic consequences of medical injuries. J Am Med Assoc. 1992;267:2487–92.
Institute of Medicine (1999). To err is human: building a safer health system
Garbutt JM, Highstein G, Jeffe DB, Dunagan WC, Fraser VJ. Safe medication prescribing: training and experience of medical students and housestaff at a large teaching hospital. Acad Med. 2005;80(6):594–9.
Hewson MG, Little ML. Giving feedback in medical education: verification of recommended techniques. J Gen Intern Med. 1998;13(2):111–6.
Wohlauer MV, Arora VM, Horwitz LI, Bass EJ, Mahar SE, Philibert I. Handoff education and assessment for residents (HEAR) computer supported cooperative workgroup. The patient handoff: a comprehensive curricular blueprint for resident education to improve continuity of care. Acad Med. 2012;87(4):411–8.
Starmer AJ, O’Toole JK, Rosenbluth G, et al. Development, implementation, and dissemination of the I-PASS handoff curriculum: a multisite educational intervention to improve patient handoffs. Acad Med. 2014;89:876–84.
Kripalani S, Weiss BD. Teaching about health literacy and clear communication. J Gen Intern Med. 2006;21:888–90.
Association of American Medical Colleges. Medical school graduation questionnaire. 2014 All Schools Summary Report. Available from: https://www.aamc.org/download/397432/data/2014gqallschoolssummaryreport.pdf. Last accessed 1–01-2014.
Association of American Medical Colleges. The medical school graduation questionnaire (AAMC GQ). 2015. Available from: https://www.aamc.org/download/440552/data/2015gqallschoolssummaryreport.pdf. Last accessed 8–07-15.
Angus S, Vu RT, Halvorsen AJ, Aiyer M, McKown K, Chmielewski AF, McDonald FS. What skills should new internal medicine interns have in July? A national survey of internal medicine residency program directors. Acad Med. 2014;89:432–5.
MedEdPORTAL iCollaborative. Core entrustable professional activities for entering residency (UPDATED). 2014. Available from: https://www.mededportal.org/icollaborative/resource/887
General Medical Council. Tomorrow’s doctors: outcomes and standards for undergraduate medical education. 2009. Available from: http://www.gmc-uk.org/static/documents/content/TomorrowsDoctors_2009(1).pdf (last accessed 02–06-17).
Maxwell S, Cameron IT, Webb DJ. Prescribing safety: ensuring that new graduates are prepared. Lancet 2015;385:579–581
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Compliance with ethical standards
The study was approved by the IRB at Eastern Virginia Medical School. Responses to the questionnaire were anonymous and did not require personal or institutional identifiers.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rajasekaran, S.K., Schnipper, J., Kripalani, S. et al. Medication Safety Curricula in US Medical Schools—A Call for Action. Med.Sci.Educ. 27, 183–187 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-017-0388-2
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-017-0388-2