Clinical pharmacology and therapeutics: safe prescribing on the acute medical unit

Abstract

Safe prescribing of medications on acute medical units (AMUs) is vitally important for ensuring high-quality and safe care for patients. Although the emphasis on safe prescribing has increased in recent years, prescribing-related errors still account for most clinical incidents on AMUs with a potential to harm patients. This article highlights the importance of safe prescribing, including the prescribing of essential drugs, adjustment of doses in acute kidney injury, use of drugs in pregnancy and lactation, identification of new drug interactions readers may not be familiar with and recent drug alerts on the use of certain antimicrobials.