Death of young child shows danger anesthesia poses to children
When a child dies, it’s always a tragedy not only for the parents but for the community as well. But when a child dies because of someone else’s negligence, grief is oftentimes accompanied by anger and the gut-wrenching question, “Could anything have been done to prevent the tragedy?”
Preventive strategies for avoiding medication errors in New York
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.
Medication error may have caused boy’s death
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.
Reducing medication errors in New York
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.
Standardizing IV and liquid medicine dosages
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.
Asking questions can help prevent medical errors
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.
Reducing medication errors in New York
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.
What is off-label drug use?
New York patients might have prescription medications that have not been approved by the FDA to treat the condition they’ve been prescribed for. This is called off-label drug use, and though it is legal and somewhat common, patients could benefit from understanding how off-label drug use works and knowing which of their own medications may have been prescribed this way.
Efforts in reducing medication errors
Prescription management can become quite complicated for a New York patient dealing with several medical conditions. However, a medication error can affect anyone, including someone taking just a single prescription. Although more medications require more careful monitoring for issues such as drug interactions, the manner in which a medication is labeled can also lead to confusion. The United States Food and Drug Administration is working on improving practices related to drug containers and labeling to head off some potential areas of error.
Computer-assisted medication systems not a cure all for errors
When a person checks into a New York hospital, a friend or relative should go along to monitor medications and watch for mistakes. That is the advice from a representative from Leapfrog, a nonprofit organization that rates hospitals on safety. Medical errors, which include medication mistakes, have been identified as the third most common cause of death in the United States.