Hospitals Report an Average of One Medication Error per Patient per Day

August 31, 2011

An estimated 7,000 deaths and 1.3 million injuries occur each year because of medication errors in America's hospitals. Research by the Institute of Medicine suggests that a typical hospital patient is subjected to an average of at least one medication error per day.

Common Types of Medication Errors

The most common type of error is the administration of an improper dose of medication, which accounts for 41 percent of all medication error deaths. Sixteen percent of medication errors are the result of hospital staff administering the wrong drug altogether, or of using the wrong method to deliver the drug.

Miscommunication of drug orders is a common cause of medication errors. This can happen as a result of poor handwriting, misplaced decimal points, ambiguous abbreviations or confusion of similar drug names. Similar errors may take place when drugs are mislabeled after preparation or repackaging.

Medication errors may also result when hospital staff administer drugs without adequate information about the patient's allergies, medical conditions or other medications. These oversights can have dangerous or even deadly consequences, even if the correct medication is administered in the intended dose.

Similarly, dangerous medication errors can take place when doctors and nurses have incomplete information about the drug itself -- for instance, if they do not have up-to-date warnings about the potential side effects or contraindications. These situations create the same type of risks as administering medication based on incomplete patient data.

Older Adults Face Elevated Risk

Anyone who takes any type of medication faces some risk of medication error, but older adults face an increased risk, most likely because they are often prescribed several medications at once.

In addition to creating a risk of dangerous drug interactions, having multiple prescriptions also increases the likelihood that the person administering the drug may confuse the dosage of one medication with that of another. Nearly one-half of fatal medication errors occur in patients over the age of 60.

Hospital Environment Can Increase the Risk of Medication Errors

Research indicates that medication errors are less likely to occur at hospitals with higher nurse-to-patient ratios than at those that are relatively short staffed. In addition, hospitals with supportive and collaborative work environments tend to have lower rates of medication error.

Both of these factors may make nursing staff more likely to take precautions such as asking doctors to clarify unclear orders, or independently verifying medication against patient records.

In addition, research has shown that nurses who are frequently interrupted while administering medication are more likely to make mistakes. A report by the Archives of Internal Medicine indicates that each interruption corresponded with a 12 percent increase in errors among nurses while administering medication.

Computerization also has been shown to be a highly effective tool in preventing medication errors. Hospitals that use a fully implemented computerized physician order entry systems experience significantly fewer medication errors.

Preventing Medication Errors

There are a few precautions that patients can take to help protect themselves from the risk of medication errors.

One important step is to know the name and dosage of any medication you are prescribed, as well as the names of any over-the-counter drugs, supplements or herbal formulas that you use. Share this information with your doctor so that he or she can avoid prescribing anything that might interact negatively with your other medications.

If you are staying in the hospital, be sure to ask for the name and purpose of any drug you are given before allowing it to be administered. It is a good idea to keep a written list of this information, along with a brief description of what each drug looks like and its dosage schedule. This way you will be more likely to notice if you are given the wrong medication and you can alert nurses to the error.

If you do notice an error, be sure to speak up right away. Although you may feel reluctant to second-guess a doctor or nurse, remember that your health is at stake. This is no time to let social niceties stand in your way. If you are unable to monitor your own medication administration, ask to have a friend or family member present to monitor the process on your behalf.

Legal Help

If you or someone close to you has suffered as a result of a medication error, you may be entitled to receive compensation for your injuries. Contact an experienced personal injury lawyer to discuss your situation and find out what legal remedies may be available to you.

Article provided by Charles N. Rock, P.L.L.C.
Visit us at http://www.rocklaw.net/