Medication errors are some of the most common preventable medical mistakes. They occur in hospitals, doctor’s offices, pharmacies, and in the patient’s home. The consequence of a medication error can range from insignificant to catastrophic injury to death. Although a great deal of progress has been made in reducing the incidence of medication errors, they remain a persistent problem.
We have all heard the term “miracle drug” and there are many drugs that work what would certainly have been considered miracles only a hundred years ago. As with so many things in life, however, the advent of the miracle drug and its siblings has not been an unalloyed blessing. Over the last 50 years, researchers and drug companies have created a huge number of drugs with confusing names and overlapping uses. All this means that there are many, many ways for a medication error to occur and almost no way to assure that a medication error will not occur.
Here is a list of some of the most common forms of medication error.
Wrong Patient.
This one is pretty obvious. The nurse comes into your hospital room and tries to give you a medication intended for the patient in the next room or just someone with a similar name. If you are in the hospital, don’t just take whatever medication the nurse brings to your room. Make sure it is one intended for you.
Wrong Medication.
Also pretty obvious, although this one can happen in a variety of settings. In the hospital, the pharmacy may give the nurse a medication with a similar name to the one you should be getting. This can also happen down at your local pharmacy when they are filling your prescription and read the name of the medication incorrectly. This one may be hard for you to spot.
Wrong Dosage.
For this error, they have the correct patient and the correct medication but the amount is wrong. One of the first malpractice cases I ever saw involved a pharmacist at a hospital misreading a doctor’s handwriting and putting the decimal point in the wrong place. A little boy got 100 times the amount of a powerful drug that destroyed his brain. Another time a local pharmacy filled a prescription incorrectly because of a misplaced decimal point. The woman receiving the prescription died of the overdose, leaving behind a husband and five children.
Wrong Time.
On many occasions, the time when a medication is administered is critical. Too early or too late and the desired effect is not obtained.
Improper Administration.
For this one, the drug is right and the patient is right but the drug is administered intravenously instead of intramuscularly, for example. Or the person administering the drug does it improperly in some other way, such as using non-sterile technique or the wrong equipment.
Wrong Medication Prescribed.
For one reason or another, including the failure to take into account medications the patient is already receiving, the doctor prescribes a medication that will harm the patient.
Failure to Prescribe.
The doctor fails to prescribe a medication the patient needs and should receive.
Failure to Administer.
The doctor orders the medication but someone makes a mistake and the medication is never delivered to or administered to the patient. This is usually a hospital problem but can occur when there is a miscommunication in a doctor’s office.
Mixing Up Medications At Home.
Lots of people, especially older people who are taking multiple medications, have a problem remembering to take all their medications in the right dosages at the right times of the day. Never go to the medicine cabinet in the dark to get something for that headache or muscle ache. Always turn the light on and verify that you are taking the medication you intend to take.
Conclusion.
You cannot stop all medication errors but with careful attention, you can reduce the risk that you will be the victim of one.
