Medication Errors

Medication errors are some of the most common adverse events to occur in hospitals. The Institute of Medicine estimates preventable medication errors cause 7,000 deaths every year in hospitals, with tens of thousands more happening in outpatient facilities and pharmacies.  Not all medication mix-ups are fatal: an additional 1.5 million Americans suffer injuries each year from medication errors.

Why do they happen?

Sound-alike names is one of the most common causes (e.g. Celexa, Celebrex and Cerebyx), along with illegibly written prescriptions, inappropriate drug labeling, unknown patient allergies or other medications, and mixed-up dosages.

Imagine you are supposed to receive 1.0 milligrams of a drug, and a barely visible decimal point causes the pharmacist to deliver 10 milligrams instead. Many feel that medication errors are the most preventable error in a hospital, as computerized drug ordering systems (as opposed to handwritten prescriptions) can reduce errors by 66%. You can follow this simple checklist to prevent medication mix-ups in the hospital.

For further reading on medication errors and a simple list of the most commonly confused medications, visit the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, ConsumerMedSafety.org, and the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention.

• What’s the Harm in Health Care?

  One-third of all hospital patients are harmed or killed by accident every year in American hospitals -- about 13 million patients.

  
  Preventable hospital accidents claim almost 300,000 lives -- equal to 3 jets crashing every single day of the year in America, with no survivors.

  
  Most of these deaths and injury are among older patients, and most result from a strained health care system seriously short on nurses and other critical resources.
  

• Our Solution

  CampaignZERO offers simple explanations about how common hospital hazards occur and easy checklists to help families safeguard their loved ones' care in the hospital.

• Why Checklists for Families?

  Every patient needs a family member or friend with them in the hospital -- yet few of us are prepared for this important role.

  
  Our simple little checklists can be a big help.

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