Pennsylvania hospitals submitted 519 medication error reports to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority from June 2004-September 2010.
The most common types of medication errors reported by facilities include wrong-drug events (30.4 percent), drug omissions (28.9 percent) and prescription or refill delays (11 percent). Other key findings include the following:
• The incorrect drug was retrieved from an automated dispensing cabinet or night cabinet in 82 percent of 130 wrong-drug events.
• Eighty-seven percent of the medication errors reached the patient, but only two resulted in harm significant enough to require additional treatment.
• Of the top 10 medications involved in the events, four were high-alert medications, drugs that have an increased risk of causing significant patient harm when used in error.
Healthcare experts from the Patient Safety Authority suggest establishing an on-site 24-hour pharmaceutical service, which can provide a more secure drug storage and distribution system.
The most common types of medication errors reported by facilities include wrong-drug events (30.4 percent), drug omissions (28.9 percent) and prescription or refill delays (11 percent). Other key findings include the following:
• The incorrect drug was retrieved from an automated dispensing cabinet or night cabinet in 82 percent of 130 wrong-drug events.
• Eighty-seven percent of the medication errors reached the patient, but only two resulted in harm significant enough to require additional treatment.
• Of the top 10 medications involved in the events, four were high-alert medications, drugs that have an increased risk of causing significant patient harm when used in error.
Healthcare experts from the Patient Safety Authority suggest establishing an on-site 24-hour pharmaceutical service, which can provide a more secure drug storage and distribution system.
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