Blind prescribing: A study of junior doctors' prescribing preparedness in an Australian emergency department

Abstract

The majority of participants in the study had inadequate knowledge on medications they had most recently prescribed and medications most commonly prescribed in the ED. Junior doctors' perceptions of their medication knowledge were inflated in relation to their actual knowledge.

The use of a contextual, modal and psychological classification of medication errors in the emergency department: a retrospective descriptive study

“…In some cases, doctors can either overestimate their knowledge (Starmer et al . ) or become overconfident with their abilities (Klein ). By contrast, complacency can be a product of overdependence on the clinical support system (Goddard et al .…”

“…Further, the lack of adverse consequences makes clinicians believe that adverse events will not occur and gives them a false sense of security that their practice is satisfactory (Chassin & Loeb 2013). In some cases, doctors can either overestimate their knowledge (Starmer et al 2013) or become overconfident with their abilities (Klein 2005). By contrast, complacency can be a product of overdependence on the clinical support system (Goddard et al 2012).…”

Medication knowledge and willingness to nurse‐initiate medications in an emergency department: a mixed‐methods study

“…Theoretical framework Starmer and colleagues first described the phenomenon of 'blind prescribing' in a study of junior doctors' preparedness to prescribe medications in the ED (Starmer et al 2013, Eley et al 2014. They found significant knowledge deficits of commonly prescribed medications and revealed that the self-reported knowledge of junior doctors was greatly inflated compared with their measured level of knowledge.…”

“…The concept of blind prescribing was used to describe the phenomenon among many of these prescribers' in their willingness to prescribe medications when medication knowledge was inadequate. Starmer et al (2013) hypothesized that this phenomenon could be negated by the increased use of reference materials, workplace assistance and education. Due to emergency nurses' ability to initiate/prescribe medications in a similar fashion, we hypothesize that the concept of 'blind prescribing' could exist.…”

“…The contributory concepts are modelled in a fixed relationship which must all be present for blind prescribing to occur. The workplace activities are necessary to prevent blind prescribing, or in the case of Starmer et al (2013) original work, completely absent in the prescribers.…”