Mistakes are common when it comes to prescribing antiretrovirals to people living with HIV who have been hospitalized, according to two studies reported at IDWeek 2012 and highlighted by the conference organizers. At the Cleveland Clinic and the University of Chicago Medical Center, researchers found that 50 percent of ARV prescriptions for newly hospitalized HIV-positive patients were incorrect. One possible reason for the high error rate is that many hospital physicians are less familiar with ARV regimens because so much HIV care is now administered by specialists in outpatient settings. A third study report at the conference suggests that hospital pharmacies can greatly benefit from accessing to outpatient pharmacy electronic medical records (EMRs); in one Michigan hospital study, the risk of ARV prescribing errors was reduced by 93 percent when outpatient pharmacy EMRs were used. 
 
To read the IDWeek 2012 news announcement, click here.