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Help protect Yourself and Loved Ones from Medication and Prescription Errors in Hospitals

Did you know medication errors are the most common medical mistakes that occur in hospitals? Studies indicate that 400,000 preventable drug-related injuries occur each year in hospitals and another 800,000 occur in long-term care settings.

Most hospital medication mistakes are caused by illegible handwriting, misinterpreted orders, medical personnel fatigue, pharmacy dispensing errors, or errors in the administration of drugs to patients. Another problem is having too many links in the chain between the doctor ordering the drug and the staff dispensing the drug to the patient at the bedside: each time the order gets passed from one person to another there is another opportunity for a mistake to occur.

The stakes could not be higher. Errors administering powerful drugs like blood thinners, insulin, and narcotics can lead to serious injury and even death. Drug-related injuries occurring in hospitals cost and estimated $3.5 billion a year, which does not even take into account lost wages, productivity, or additional health care costs.

A recent study shows that medication errors can be significantly reduced with the use of electronic prescription drug ordering systems. These electronic systems offer dosage assistance, allergy and interaction alerts, and patient identifiers—all things that can be lost with a manual system that relies on layers of human beings to ensure the correct decisions are made.

The findings, published in the March issue of The Journal of Psychiatric Practice, outline how the psychiatric unit at Johns Hopkins Hospital cut their medication error rate from 27.89 per 1,000 patient days to 3.43 per 1,000 patient days using an electronic medication system and improving error reporting. This study is consistent with other published research that indicates medication errors can be reduced by over 50% with the use of electronic medication ordering systems. Hospitals can also reduce errors by instituting best practice guidelines and ensuring staff follows the guidelines every time they dispense a medication.

If you or someone you know has been injured by a medication or presciption error, consider consulting with an experienced medical malpractice attorney who can advise you of your legal rights.