How Frequently Do Medication Errors Occur in Florida?
According to an article in Florida Today, medication errors account for 700,000 emergency room visits, 120,000 hospitalizations and 7,000 deaths annually. The reality is that these medication errors hit the elderly population the hardest, and 36 percent of all adverse drug interactions involve seniors. Florida Today has a few tips for seniors to avoid taking… Read more »
Posted in Medical Malpractice, Medication Errors
4 Common Pharmacy Mistakes that Can Harm Patients
have the potential to cause serious injuries or deaths to patients, so it is important to recognize how these errors are made. In some cases, patients or family members can prevent pharmacy mistakes with extra diligence. The following four pharmacy errors are among the most common: Mistaken handwriting: In some cases, a doctor’s poor handwriting… Read more »
Tags: Prescription
Posted in Medication Errors
Are Some Pharmacies More Concerned with Profits Than Patient Safety?
Pharmacists are responsible for ensuring patients understand how to safely take their medications. Unfortunately, some have argued that drug store policies can make it difficult or impossible for pharmacists to converse with patients. That is because pharmacists at these stores may be understaffed and overworked. These policies may increase the risk pharmacists fail to warn… Read more »
Tags: DrugStore
Posted in Medication Errors
Florida Doctor Facing 500 Years for Fake Cancer Medicine
A Florida oncologist is facing 500 years in prison for giving cancer patients fake chemotherapy drugs. Investigators with the Department of Justice claim the doctor has given patients fake cancer medicine since 2009 to defraud Medicare. According to investigators, many of the medications were from foreign countries and are not FDA approved. One of the… Read more »
Tags: Chemo
Posted in Medication Errors
Can This National Campaign Prevent Chemotherapy Errors?
A campaign launched by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is seeking to prevent medical mistakes involving a certain type of chemotherapy drug. The “Just Bag It” campaign centers around vincristine, a drug used to treat patients with leukemia and lymphoma. Since the 1960’s, there have been 125 fatal chemotherapy errors worldwide caused by this… Read more »
Tags: Chemo
Posted in Medication Errors
You Won’t Believe This New Study on Rehabilitation Hospitals
A recent study carried out by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) discovered patients at rehabilitation facilities are more likely to be harmed by preventable medical errors. Unfortunately, many people hurt by rehabilitation hospital errors are vulnerable and in poor health. Rehabilitation facilities used in the study were not associated with regular… Read more »
Tags: HospitalSafety
Posted in Medication Errors
How to Use the Internet to Avoid Medication Mistakes
Patients may avoid medication mistakes by communicating with their doctors and conducting research on common errors. Under the correct circumstances, the internet can be a useful tool for avoiding medication mistakes. For example, some medications have similar-sounding names that can increase the odds pharmacists or nurses make mistakes. There are online tools that can help… Read more »
Tags: PatientSafety
Posted in Medication Errors
How Parents Can Protect Their Children from Pharmacy Errors
A Colorado family is warning parents across the nation to be cautious of pharmacy errors after losing their 8-year-old son. The parents have spoken to national press outlets about how a pharmacy error caused the death of their child. According to the parents, the boy had been prescribed Clonidine to treat ADHD. Clonidine is a… Read more »
Tags: Pediatrics
Posted in Medication Errors
What Can Patients Do to Avoid Medication Errors?
Readers of our blog know that medication errors have serious or fatal consequences for patients. Ironically, the very medications we use to treat our health conditions can, under the right circumstances, become a threat to our lives. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, about one-third of adults in the US are prescribed… Read more »
Tags: Pharmacy
Posted in Medication Errors
Why Overworked Pharmacists Cause Medication Dispensing Errors
We talk a lot about how overworked nurses and doctors cause errors, but the same rule applies for pharmacists. Pharmacists are also prone to errors caused by long shifts and quotas. A recent study published in the American Journal of Health-Systems Pharmacy shows that overworked pharmacists made more errors as the number of orders increased…. Read more »
Tags: Pharmacist
Posted in Medication Errors
