Digital health tools cut medication errors and improve patient safety, study finds

A University of Manchester-led study found digital health technologies significantly improve patient safety by reducing medication errors, aiding earlier diagnosis, and preventing harm. Published in BMC Medicine, the largest review of its kind analyzed 74 clinical trials over 23 years, showing medication safety improved by 46% and non-medication safety by 77% versus usual care. The UK's PINCER program and SMASH dashboard were highlighted, but over 40% of studies cited implementation barriers like alert fatigue, emphasizing that success depends on integrating tools into clinical workflows.