Ways to Reduce Medication Errors to Protect Patients

Each year in the U.S., about 1.5 million people are affected by medication errors. Some of these errors are minor and pose no risk to the health of the patient, while with others, there is potential for patient harm. According to two new studies, there are ways that hospitals and pharmacists can reduce the prevalence of these mistakes, as well as the chances that a patient will be seriously harmed by medication errors. For the first study, researchers led by Dr. Jeffrey L. Schnipper of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School performed a controlled trial using 322 patients at two hospitals from May to June of 2006. The research team kept track of what medications those patients were taking at admission and discharge by entering them into a computer. Researchers also tried to have doctors, nurses and pharmacists take the medication histories of the patients and keep track of the medications they were taking. Among the 160 control patients (usual care), there were 1.44 medication errors made per patient, while among the 162 intervention patients (program), there were about 1.05 errors made. Patients in the program experienced a 28 percent reduction in the number of medication errors made. There were 43 errors made with patients in the program that had the potential to cause serious harm, while among the usual care group, there were 55 medication errors made that had the potential to harm a patient. The study suggests that knowing and keeping track of a patients medication history from admission through discharge can significantly reduce the risk of medication error and the consequences of those mistakes.

The second report looked at medication errors occurring in people with high blood pressure. This group of researchers, led by Michael D. Murray of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, analyzed how involving pharmacists in medication decisions could reduce the frequency of medication errors and adverse drug effects. For this study, 800 patients with high blood pressure were paired with a pharmacist, who provided them with instructions for the medications they were taking. The pharmacists also monitored their medications and communicated with the patient and their primary care physician. Murray and his team found that these patients, with the help of pharmacist intervention, experienced fewer medication errors and adverse drug reactions than patients that had no such intervention. The study emphasized the effect pharmacist intervention can have on reducing these types of errors by keeping them involved in the medication regimens of their patients. Medication errors made by healthcare professionals (most often physicians) are a violation of the trust a patient puts in the doctor and the entire medical profession. If you or a loved one has been the victim of medication malpractice, call or e-mail the attorneys at Silberstein Awad & Miklos, P.C. today to schedule your free initial consultation. We serve clients with Queens medication error, Bronx medication error, Brooklyn medication error, Nassau medication error and Suffolk medication error cases.

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