What type of medical error describes writing a dosage incorrectly even though you know the correct dose?

• A. Slip/Lapse
• B. Violation
• C. Mistake
• D. Misdiagnosis

Answer: (A)

This describes a slip or lapse. You intend to give the correct dose, but the action you take ends up incorrect due to a momentary execution error—like typing the wrong number, placing the decimal incorrectly, or selecting the wrong button. Slips happen when the plan is right but the action doesn’t follow it, usually from attention or memory lapses. A mistake would involve a wrong plan or rule being applied, not simply an execution error. Violation implies a deliberate disregard of rules, and misdiagnosis is about an incorrect clinical assessment, not dosing execution.