Children's of Alabama in Birmingham was able to cut chemotherapy medication errors in half by prospectively reviewing all orders at the time of submission, according to a study in Pediatric Blood & Cancer.
During the study period (2008-2011), more than 20,000 chemotherapy orders were reviewed by multiple staff members, and error rates were calculated by number of patient encounters and chemotherapy doses dispensed.
By the end of the study, error rates had dropped from 6 per 1,000 patient encounters to 3 per 1,000 patient encounters. The study also found that 92 percent of errors were intercepted before reaching the patient, and no error during the study caused identified patient harm.
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During the study period (2008-2011), more than 20,000 chemotherapy orders were reviewed by multiple staff members, and error rates were calculated by number of patient encounters and chemotherapy doses dispensed.
By the end of the study, error rates had dropped from 6 per 1,000 patient encounters to 3 per 1,000 patient encounters. The study also found that 92 percent of errors were intercepted before reaching the patient, and no error during the study caused identified patient harm.
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