Medication errors can compromise the health of New York patients, worsening existing medical conditions and causing adverse reactions. According to the World Health Organization, medical errors can also increase resistance to antibiotics. Resistance to antimicrobials can take place when there are modifications in bacteria that make the medications intended as treatment ineffective. Antimicrobial resistance is an issue that is impacting the world. If the issue is not properly addressed, the era of modern medicine could come to an end.
Read more: Medication mistakes causing antibiotic resistance
While the health care industry in New York has taken great strides toward eliminating prescription medication errors, there are still instances that lead to higher levels of mistakes. This is dangerous given that medication errors can lead to adverse and sometimes even fatal reactions between different medications.
Read more: Risk of medication error is highest at times of transition
When patients visit emergency rooms in New York, medical personnel face challenges in collecting accurate information about medications. Electronic medical records might contain previous errors about medications, or physicians and nurses might lack the time and expertise to fully investigate patients' medication histories. A study that appeared in BMJ Quality & Safety examined these problems and concluded that medication errors represented the most common reason that inpatients experienced injuries in hospitals.
Read more: Medication errors leading cause of injury for hospital patients
New York families who have elderly relatives living in nursing homes may be interested to learn that, according to a study, registered nurses are more equipped to identify medication order discrepancies than licensed practical nurses. These mistakes often occur when patients are being moved between hospitals and different nursing homes.
Read more: Registered nurses could prevent drug errors in nursing homes
New York readers may be surprised to learn that opioids are responsible for more medical malpractice claims than any other prescription drug. The findings were announced in a new study by Coverys, a medical liability insurer based in Boston.
Read more: Opioids the top cause of medication-related insurance claims
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