Deaths due to prescription drug errors are 25% higher during the first week of each month when compared to the last week of each month, say US researchers. They say that pharmacies are much busier at the beginning of each month, this rise in prescription demand could be partly to blame for the rise in errors.

The researchers looked at death certificates over a period of 20 years (1979-2000).

You can read about this study in the journal Pharmacotherapy.

Government assistance payments to seniors in the USA tends to fall mainly at the beginning of each month. The researchers believe this factor contributes to the peaking of demand during the first week of the month. Pharmacies experience a hectic week and more errors are made during this time. If the pharmacists are very busy, they are more likely to make mistakes and will have less time to talk to patients about their medications, suggest the researchers.