ArticleCureus2025
Improving Prescription Completeness and Reducing Prescription Errors in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Quality Improvement Initiative From a Tertiary Care Centre in North India.
Article in Cureus, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
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Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- An Integrated FMEA-RCA Risk-Management Approach for Deep Vein Thrombosis Prevention in Patients Undergoing Total Knee Arthroplasty.Risk management and healthcare policy · 2026Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveIncomplete prescriptions are a frequent contributor to medication errors in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs), where patient vulnerability and complex dosing requirements increase the risk. An initial assessment at our unit identified a gap in prescription completeness, leading to the development of a structured quality improvement (QI) project.
methodsUsing the Point of Care Quality Improvement (POCQI) and Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Model for Improvement, we implemented a 24-week QI study divided into baseline (four weeks), intervention (16 weeks), and sustenance (four weeks) phases. A 10-point prescription checklist was developed, incorporating NICU-specific parameters such as oxygen targets, nutraceuticals, and developmentally supportive care (DSC). Root cause analysis was performed using fishbone and Pareto charts. Interventions were tested through four sequential plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles and included training sessions, pre-printed templates, DSC integration, and structured prescribing of supplements. Daily audits were conducted on randomly selected prescriptions, with correctness scored and tracked using run and control charts.
resultsA total of 672 prescriptions were analyzed. The baseline mean score of prescription completeness was 4.54/10, with only 11.6% achieving ≥70% completeness. Scores improved progressively across PDSA cycles, reaching a sustained mean of 8.4/10 in the final phase. The proportion of prescriptions scoring ≥70% rose to 100%, with a score of 10/10 in a few prescriptions during sustenance. No significant increase in prescription completion time was noted.
conclusionStructured, low-cost interventions significantly improved prescription completeness in a resource-constrained NICU. Institutionalizing training, checklist use, and regular audits may help sustain these improvements.
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