Prescription errors exposed

A major study of GP prescribing has found errors in 10 per cent of prescriptions to treat eye conditions.

Research commissioned by the General Medical Council identified errors in 15 of the 150 prescribed eye treatments reviewed. Most were prescriptions by GPs for eye drops for glaucoma with incomplete information.

Professor Tony Avery of the University of Nottingham's medical school, who led the research, said: 'The most common problem was not giving clear dosage instructions for glaucoma drops, particularly in terms of not specifying which eye the drops should go into.'

Overall, the study involved 6,048 unique prescription items for 1,777 patients with various medical conditions.