Background: Digital weight loss services (DWLSs) that use Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) have demonstrated potential in contributing to a shift in global obesity rates. However, reasonable concerns have been raised about the prescribing safety of these services. Prior to this study, electronic prescribing safety had only been investigated in hospital settings and community clinics.
Methods: This study retrospectively analyzed prescribing errors committed over a 6-month period in 2023 at Australia's largest GLP-1 RA-supported DWLS.
Results: The analysis found that 1654 (4.4%) of the 37323 audited GLP-1 RA prescriptions contained an error. Most errors pertained to insufficient safety counselling (49.15%) and inadequate investigations of potential contraindications (30.29%). Although a large portion of prescribing errors were detected via the automated query method (64.9%), the other three auditing methods all detected a significant number of true errors (>100). Patients from the highest body mass index category (40+ kg/m2) were overrepresented in the service's prescribing error data.
Conclusions: These findings lay a vital foundation in the emerging literature on GLP-1 RA-supported DWLSs.
Keywords: GLP-1 RA; chronic disease; digital health; digital obesity program; electronic prescribing; prescribing errors; safety.