Medication Error Statistic
Contents |
Me Forgot Password? Login or Sign up for a Free Account My Topics of Interest My CME My Profile Sign Out Home Topics Issues WebM&M Cases Perspectives Primers Submit Case CME / medication errors statistics 2015 CEU Training Catalog Info Glossary About PSNet Help & FAQ Contact PSNet Email medication errors statistics 2014 Updates Editorial Team Technical Expert/Advisory Panel Terms & Conditions / Copyright PSNet Privacy Policy External Link Disclaimer Patient Safety medication errors articles Primer Last Updated: March 2015 Medication Errors Topics Resource Type Patient Safety Primers Safety Target Medication Errors/Preventable Adverse Drug Events Look-Alike, Sound-Alike Drugs More Share Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Print
Medication Errors Statistics Cdc
Background and definitions Prescription medication use is widespread, complex, and increasingly risky. Clinicians have access to an armamentarium of more than 10,000 prescription medications, and nearly one-third of adults in the United States take 5 or more medications. Advances in clinical therapeutics have undoubtedly resulted in major improvements in health for patients with many diseases, but these benefits have also been accompanied medication errors in hospitals by increased risks. An adverse drug event (ADE) is defined as harm experienced by a patient as a result of exposure to a medication, and ADEs account for nearly 700,000 emergency department visits and 100,000 hospitalizations each year. ADEs affect nearly 5% of hospitalized patients, making them one of the most common types of inpatient errors; ambulatory patients may experience ADEs at even higher rates. Transitions in care are also a well-documented source of preventable harm related to medications. As with the more general term adverse event, the occurrence of an ADE does not necessarily indicate an error or poor quality care. A medication error refers to an error (of commission or omission) at any step along the pathway that begins when a clinician prescribes a medication and ends when the patient actually receives the medication. Preventable adverse drug events result from a medication error that reaches the patient and causes any degree of harm. It is generally estimated that about half of ADEs are preventable. Medication errors that do not cause any harm—either because they are intercepted before reaching the patient, or by luck—are of
Home Food Drugs Medical Devices Radiation-Emitting Products Vaccines, Blood & Biologics Animal & Veterinary Cosmetics Tobacco Products Drugs Home Drugs Drug Safety and Availability Medication examples of medication errors Errors Medication Errors Related to Drugs Share Tweet Linkedin Pin it More sharing
Preventing Medication Errors
options Linkedin Pin it Email Print Within the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER), the Division of Medication Error Prevention
Medication Errors In Nursing
and Analysis (DMEPA) reviews medication error reports on marketed human drugs including prescription drugs, generic drugs, and over-the-counter drugs. DMEPA uses the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCCMERP) definition https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primers/primer/23/medication-errors of a medication error. Specifically, a medication error is "any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer. Such events may be related to professional practice, health care products, procedures, and systems, including prescribing; order communication; product labeling, packaging, and nomenclature; compounding; dispensing; distribution; administration; education; http://www.fda.gov/drugs/drugsafety/medicationerrors/ monitoring; and use."DMEPA includes a medication error prevention program staffed with healthcare professionals. Among their many duties, program staff review medication error reports sent to MedWatch, evaluate causality, and analyze the data to provide solutions to reduce the risk of medication errors to industry and others at FDA.Additionally, DMEPA prospectively reviews proprietary names, labeling, packaging, and product design prior to drug approval to help prevent medication errors.Although DMEPA encourages manufacturers to perform their due diligence when naming their drug products and we strive to avoid approving confusing proprietary names for drug products, there are cases of adverse events where a name of a marketed product is identified as a source of confusion and error. Therefore, we continue to encourage healthcare providers, patients and consumers to report all medication errors to MedWatch so that we can be made aware of potential problems related to drug names and the Agency can provide effective interventions that will minimize further errors. In some situations, changing a proprietary name while the product is marketed may be necessary to address safety issues resulting from the name confusion errors.DMEPA also works closely with federal partners, patient safety organizations such as Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP),
Radiation-Emitting Products Vaccines, Blood & Biologics Animal & Veterinary Cosmetics Tobacco Products Drugs Home Drugs Drug http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/MedicationErrors/ucm080629.htm Safety and Availability Medication Errors Section Contents Menu Drug Safety and Availability Medication Errors medication error reports Medication errors cause at least one death every day and injure approximately 1.3 million people https://medlineplus.gov/medicationerrors.html annually in the United States. Medication mishaps can occur anywhere in the distribution system: prescribing, repackaging, dispensing, administering, or monitoring. Common causes of such errors include: poor communication, ambiguities in product medication error names, directions for use, medical abbreviations or writing, poor procedures or techniques, or patient misuse because of poor understanding of the directions for use of the product. In addition, job stress, lack of product knowledge or training, or similar labeling or packaging of a product may be the cause of, or contribute to, an actual or potential error. CDER began receiving reports of medication medication errors statistics errors in January 1992, when the U.S. Pharmacopeia began forwarding reports to the FDA. To evaluate and recommend appropriate action on these reports, the Medication Errors Subcommittee was formed in June 1992. In November 1993, the Agency began evaluating and coding MedWatch reports for medication errors and publicly stated that physicians and other health care professionals could report medication errors directly to the FDA through the MedWatch program. CDER responsibilities are not completed when the safety and effectiveness of a drug product are determined. The Center also has the responsibility for helping to ensure the safe use of the drugs it approves by identifying and avoiding proprietary names that contribute to problems in the prescribing, dispensing, or administration of the product. Because early identification of a potential confusing proprietary name is crucial, CDER reviews these proposed names, prior to approval of a new drug application, by means of the Office of Postmarketing Drug Risk Assessment (OPDRA) CDER's approach to medication errors is as follows: Prevent medication errors prior to a drug's approval; After approval, evaluate, monitor, and take appropriate action on reports of medication errors; Educate and
Tools Español You Are Here: Home → Health Topics → Medication Errors URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/medicationerrors.html Medication Errors To use the sharing features on this page, please enable JavaScript. On this page Basics Summary Start Here Learn More Related Issues Specifics See, Play and Learn Videos and Tutorials Research Clinical Trials Journal Articles Resources Find an Expert For You Children Seniors Patient Handouts Summary Medicines cure infectious diseases, prevent problems from chronic diseases, and ease pain. But medicines can also cause harmful reactions if not used correctly. Errors can happen in the hospital, at the doctor's office, at the pharmacy, or at home. You can help prevent errors by Knowing your medicines. Keep a list of the names of your medicines, how much you take, and when you take them. Include over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and supplements and herbs. Take this list to all your doctor visits. Reading medicine labels and following the directions. Don't take medications prescribed for someone else. Taking extra caution when giving medicines to children. Asking questions. If you don't know the answers to these questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Why am I taking this medicine? What are the common problems to watch out for? What should I do if they occur? When should I stop this medicine? Can I take this medicine with the other medicines on my list? Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Start Here 6 Tips to Avoid Medication Mistakes (Food and Drug Administration) - PDF General Advice on Safe Medication Use (Institute for Safe Medication Practices) Use Medicines Safely (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion) Also in Spanish Using Medications Safely (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists) Related Issues List of Confused Drug Names (Institute for Safe Medication Practices) - PDF List of Error-Prone Abbrev