A medication error is any incorrect or wrongful administration of a medication like a mistake in dosage or route of administration, failure to prescribe or administer the correct drug or formulation for a specific disease or condition, use of outdated drugs, failure to observe the correct time for administration of the drug or lack of awareness of adverse effects of certain drug combinations. Causes of medication error may involve difficulty in reading handwritten orders, confusion about different drugs with similar names and lack of information about a patient's drug allergies or sensitivities.