Background: Medication errors can result at any step of medication use process. Transcription is the process of transfer of information from the order sheet to the nurse’s documentation form or medication administration record. Any deviation during the transfer of information from the order sheet to the nurse’s documentation form or medication administration record results in a transcription error. The present study was conducted to analyse the nature and magnitude of transcription errors in medicine wards of a tertiary care hospital. Material and Methods: The present study was a prospective observational hospital based study, carried out among inpatients admitted in medicine wards of a tertiary care hospital in Goa during a period of 3 months. Results: A total of 500 patient observations were made, out of these 169 (33.8%) instances of transcription errors were detected. Majority of transcription errors 137 (27.4%) were of the ‘incomplete order(s) error category. Conclusion: Our study is the first of its kind in the state of Goa and our findings are quite alarming. Missed orders can cause alarming harm to a patient if the newly added drug or drug not entered is an important drug to modify the health scenario of a patient. Each hospital should form its own ‘Standard operating procedures’ for the nurses to follow and thereby minimise the instances of transcription errors.
