The Risk of Medication Errors

Note: This study is not summarized from peer-reviewed journal papers. It is a summary of a study published by the US National Academy of Science, the highly prestigious body that includes some of the best researchers in the United Sates and around the world. You can read the study at their web site.

In their opening page, they state that "on average a hospital patient is subject to at leat one medication error per day". In essence, every time we go to be hospitalized, we can expect medication errors in our treatment, a horrifying thought! They state that at least (only!) "a quarter of all medication related injuries are preventable", and suggest a partnership between providers, patients, and "third parties". Consumers (while hospitalized!) should maintain careful records of their medications.

It is little consolation to read that there are large variations in these error rates between the different facilities; some have error rates close to zero, whereas others have error rates three times the average. The only problem is that the facilities never publish their error rates, so that we consumers do not have the facts needed to make a good choice. The authors of the study estimate that adverse drug events, requiring treatment, cost a total of $3.5 billion in the year 2006

The authors state that "Improved provider-patient communication is vital". The model required for achieving significant reduction in errors is, in the opinion of the authors, that "consumers (and their surrogates) should be empowered as partners in their care, with appropriate communication, information, and resources in place to support them". It sounds like the National Academy endorses the FactSmart philosophy! You need to be an informed consumer, and supplement your physician's advice with your own search for information. Currently, patients do not have the right to be told when an adverse event occurs. It is up to the patients and their close ones to be aware of any deviation from the expected outcome of the treatment.

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Last Modification - August 24, 2006