What are medication errors?<\/a> | How common are medication errors?<\/a> | Medication errors stats by setting<\/a> | Patient medication errors stats<\/a> | Medication errors stats by drug type<\/a> | Counterfeit medication error stats<\/a> | Consequences<\/a> | Costs<\/a> | FAQs<\/a> | Resources<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n The <\/span>Food and Drug Administration (FDA)<\/span><\/a> defines a medication error as a \u201cpreventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm.\u201d Medication errors can happen because of consumers, healthcare professionals, pharmacists, or other people involved in the medication-use system. Let\u2019s take a look at some medication error statistics to better understand how frequently they happen, how they affect people, and how to prevent them.<\/span><\/p>\n A medication error happens in the medication-use system and can cause harm to the person taking the medication. Errors can happen when a medication is prescribed improperly, is prepared or dispensed improperly, when drug information is entered into a computer system incorrectly, or when a patient takes a medication incorrectly. Medication errors can involve prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and even supplements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are <\/span>nine types<\/span><\/a> of medication errors:<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s important to note that patients and caregivers are also at a high risk for making medication errors. Additionally, <\/span>one study<\/span><\/a> published in the <\/span>Journal of the American Geriatrics Society<\/span><\/i> in 2007 outlined six categories of patient medication errors:<\/span><\/p>\n <\/b>The complete medication management guide for seniors<\/b><\/p>\n <\/b>Preventing teen prescription misuse<\/b><\/p>\n Medication errors can have a profound effect on someone\u2019s overall health and quality of life. Receiving and taking the wrong medication, or improperly taking the right medication can lead to serious side effects, hospitalization, and even fatalities. Adverse drug reactions may manifest as skin rashes or skin disfigurements, and some people can even develop new health problems. In the United States, 7,000 to 9,000 people die each year due to medication errors.<\/span><\/p>\n If a healthcare professional is at fault for the medication error that causes a patient harm, they may be subject to certain consequences. They may lose their license or their job if the mistake is big enough, but in many cases, it may be difficult to determine what or who caused a medication error as there are many steps involved in getting medication to a patient.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are many causes of medication errors, including physical, psychological, and environmental causes. \u201cPhysical causes might be clerical, misreading, mistyping, or miscalculating a dosage,\u201d says <\/span>Matthew Young<\/span><\/a>, MD, a physician and attorney who specializes in medical malpractice actions. \u201cPsychological causes could be fatigue, cognitive lapse, or forgetting a patient\u2019s allergies. Environmental causes could be grabbing the wrong medication for the wrong patient, getting the wrong med from the pharmacy, or the pharmacy dispensing the wrong med\/preparing the dosage incorrectly.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n According to Dr. Young, proper administration of medication depends on:<\/span><\/p>\nWhat are medication errors?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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How common are medication errors?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Medication errors statistics by setting\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Patient medication errors statistics<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Medication errors statistics by drug type<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Counterfeit medication statistics<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Consequences of medication errors<\/span><\/h2>\n
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The cost of medication errors<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Causes of medication errors<\/span><\/h2>\n
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