Prescription Errors

Paper Summary:

The paper reveals that over 7,000 deaths occur a year due to medication errors! The paper discusses unclear medical abbreviations as well as other prescription errors, such as no directions or no strength advised. The paper also discusses the accuracy of e-prescribing but points out that it still represents only a very small amount of prescriptions written each year. The paper then relates that problems arise with abbreviations and acronyms of medical conditions such as the abbreviation CP that can stand for many diseases. The paper asserts that it is disconcerting that the American Medical Association (AMA) is moving so slowly on this issue, considering the amount of deaths that occur.

From the Paper:

"The whole point of going to a healthcare provider is to get better, not become more ill or even die because someone misread a medication prescription. Unfortunately, that is too often the case. According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, over 7,000 deaths occur a year due to medication errors. These errors can happen anywhere in the medication-use system, from prescribing to administering a drug in a variety of settings, such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, nursing homes and homecare services. As a result, in 2006 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration launched a nationwide health professional education campaign in order to reduce the number of common but preventable sources of medication mistakes caused by using unclear medical abbreviations."

Sample of Sources Used:

• BBC Report. Medical Abbreviations Cause Risk. Sunday, 6 January, 2008 Retrieved March 13, 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7171453.stm
• Kuhn, F. (2007) Abbreviations and acronyms in healthcare. Pediatric Nursing 33(5): 329-352.
• Preece, J.F,. Ashford, J.R and Hunt, R.G. Writing all prescriptions by computer (1984). The Journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners. 34: 654-657
• Romano, M. (2002) Patient-safety awards abound, but do they represent real progress in the fight against medical errors, or are they just for show? Modern HealthcareFebruary 29, 2008. http://www.modernhealthcare.com/
• Rovner, J. (2007) Congress Looks to Require Electronic Prescriptions. NPRFebruary 29, 2008. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17170228

More papers on Prescription Errors:

• Descriptive Essay # 132879 : "Errors in Mediation Administration"
• Research Paper # 122345 : "Automation and Medication Errors"
• Term Paper # 120830 : "Nurse Prescribing"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: