Rank	U.S. family physicians	General practitioners in other countries
1	Errors in ordering medications (54 reports), especially prescribing contraindicated medicines or the wrong dose	Errors in ordering medications (57 reports), especially prescribing contraindicated medicines or the wrong dose
2	Errors in implementing laboratory investigations (27 reports), especially when requested laboratory test was not done, laboratory performed the wrong test, or abnormal laboratory test results were not reported promptly	Errors in communicating with patients about treatments (21 reports), especially failing to explain to patients how to take medications
3	Filing system errors (25 reports), especially using the wrong file in the office visit or the report is lost (filed in the wrong chart)	Errors in ordering laboratory tests (16 reports), especially forgetting to order needed laboratory tests or providing incomplete information on the laboratory request form
4	Errors in implementing medications orders (24 reports), especially dispensing the wrong dose or drug	Errors in communicating between care providers in different settings (14 reports), especially not sending referral and discharge letters
5	Errors in responding to abnormal laboratory test results (21 reports), especially failing to recognize abnormal results, or failing to interpret laboratory results in the context of the clinical picture	Wrong or delayed diagnosis (14 reports), especially failing to adequately examine patients