Doctors call for standardisation of the system for prescriptions

A STANDARD system for recording the drugs given to patients in hospital is urgently needed to reduce errors and improve patient safety, doctors' leaders have warned.

The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE) said prescribing charts used by health boards varied across Scotland, increasing the risk of mistakes by doctors moving between hospitals.

Where standards vary, the wrong medicine or dosage can be given, or the prescription can have an adverse reaction to other treatments, the college said.

The organisation is calling for a national prescribing chart similar to that introduced in Wales in 2004.

A study last year found that 6 per cent of consultants and 10 per cent of trainee doctors in the UK had made prescribing errors. RCPE president Neil Dewhurst said: "Local variation in prescribing charts has existed for many years, but has not been addressed by successive governments and should now be given greater priority.

"Putting it simply, patients should expect a standardised system of prescribing regardless of which hospital in Scotland they are treated."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "It is the responsibility of every doctor - trainee or consultant - to ensure they are prescribing safely. There are extensive systems in place to ensure patient safety, and Scotland was the first country anywhere to have a system-wide patient safety programme."

She said the possibility of a standardised prescription form was under active consideration with colleagues across the UK.