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A method for decreasing patients' medication errors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

P. Ley ,
V. K. Jain  and
C. E. Skilbeck
P. Ley*
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool, Barnsley and District General Hospital, Regional Neurology and Neurosurgery Unit, Newcastle General Hospital
V. K. Jain
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool, Barnsley and District General Hospital, Regional Neurology and Neurosurgery Unit, Newcastle General Hospital
C. E. Skilbeck
Affiliation:
University of Liverpool, Barnsley and District General Hospital, Regional Neurology and Neurosurgery Unit, Newcastle General Hospital
*
1Address for correspondence: Dr P. Ley, Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool.
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Synopsis

Eighty anxious and eighty depressed patients were assigned randomly to receiving one of three versions of an information leaflet about their medication, or to receiving no leaflet at all.

Mean medication errors were reduced from 15 to 4% by provision of suitably constructed leaflets.

The results show the practical importance of informing patients about their medication and of paying attention to the difficulty level of any leaflets issued.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 6 , Issue 4 , February 1977 , pp. 599 - 601
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1977

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References

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