Medication Errors

Adults that reside in New York nursing homes rely on health care providers for all of their basic needs. Given their living situation and health status, nursing home residents are particularly vulnerable to medical errors including medication mistakes. A study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society analyzed the impact of medication errors on nursing home residents.

New York residents may know that medication errors are a leading cause of patient harm in the United States, and that they are often fatal. To combat the problem, pharmacists are using special software to help identify these mistakes before they occur.

Medication errors can occur because of negligence in a hospital, clinic, or pharmacy. However, there are also many cases in which patients suffer serious outcomes from medication errors that they have made on their own. It is important to be aware of these errors to avoid the chance of overdose or other serious complications.

A physician might prescribe clonidine, an antihypertensive medication, to treat high blood pressure. The medication is also used to treat children dealing with ADHD. However, a numerical error resulting in an 8-year-old Colorado boy receiving 1,000 times the appropriate dose may have contributed to his death on June 8, 2016.

New York paramedics often have to work in less than perfect conditions, make snap decisions and act quickly, so medication mistakes can occur. Medication errors are defined by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research as preventable events that lead to patient harm or inappropriate use of medications. These errors can arise from a variety of causes, including product labels, distribution and lack of education.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists is launching an effort to standardize concentrations of IV and oral liquid medications in order to prevent patients in New York and around the country from being harmed by errors in the administration of these medications. The Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine estimates that more than 1.5 million people in the United States are negatively impacted by sucherrors every year.

Medical errors are a serious problem for patients in New York and across the nation. In fact, medical errors are one of the leading causes of death in the U.S., ranking third after heart disease and cancer. Some of the most common errors may be prevented if patients stay engaged with their medical treatment and ask questions.

In an effort to meet the goals outlined in the 2007 Prescription Drug User Fee Act, the Food and Drug Administration has released two guidance documents focused on reducing medication errors. According to the Institute of Medicine, around 7,000 people die each year in the U.S. due to medication-related issues, so reducing them is a priority.