Medication administration errors persist in units with automated prescription and dispensing. We identified a need to improve nurses' working procedures and to implement a Clinical Decision Support tool that generates recommendations about scheduling according to dietary restrictions, preparation of medication before parenteral administration, and adequate infusion rates.

The structure and operating procedures of Hospital Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees are similar in select Western countries. Information from clinical trials is the most influential factor in the decision-making process.

Interventions by a clinical pharmacist had a major impact on reducing prescribing errors in the study period, thus improving the quality and safety of care provided.

Medication reconciliation errors occur across transitions in patient care. Of all medication errors in a hospital, 25 % in hospitalised patients are caused by a failure to reconcile new prescriptions with ongoing home treatments. These errors are more common at discharge, but the critical moment for detecting and resolving them is at the time of admission. This commentary reviews the different ways in which reconciliation errors can be prevented. The reconciliation process should be standardised and implemented in daily practice as a routine part of healthcare provision. To achieve this, professional development of hospital pharmacists is of paramount importance. The commentary goes on to describe the factors that affect the reconciliation process and the stages involved in its implementation. Finally, we discuss the use of information technology as a means to help integrating medication reconciliation into clinical practice.

Paediatric patients had a fourfold higher risk of serious errors than the maternity population. Pharmacist intervention had a major impact on reducing prescribing errors in the study period, thus improving the quality and efficiency of care provided.