Many hospital pharmacy computer systems aren't equipped to avoid serious medication errors and the result could be deadly, according to a field test survey sponsored by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Fulton, Md.

Of the 307 hospitals that tested their computer systems on 10 lethal medication orders, only four successfully detected all of the unsafe medication orders, results show. Among the results: 87 percent did not detect single or cumulative lethal doses of colchicine, a drug for gout; 87 percent did not detect toxic doses of antibiotics for patients with renal impairment; 62 percent did not detect lethal overdoses of cancer drugs cisplatin or vincristine; and 61 percent did not alert staff or block the order when an oral suspension was ordered for intravenous use.

And, according to the test, the computer systems were not to blame. It seems the hospitals were either not receiving drug information updates or were not updating such information often enough.