REDUCING MEDICAL ERRORS

According to the National Institute of Health, every year there are about 44,000 to 90,000 deaths from medical errors and adverse reactions to medications in the United States. This is occurring in spite of the many advances in computers and safer hospital practices.

Medical errors can not be totally prevented because of the way our brain works and the imperfectness of the environment and the workplace.

The best we could do is reduce the number of medical errors. One source of medical errors that can be prevented is the unreadable hand writing of many clinicians including nurses and other health professionals. The practice of hand written prescription should be abandoned. With the availability of computers, health practitioners should now be able to print their prescriptions with a couple of key strokes from the examining rooms.

To reduce medication errors, your duty as a patient or parent is to make sure the prescription that you received from your clinician is legible preferrably computer generated print-out  with detailed instructions on how to take it.

Suppose your clinician prescribed a medication for acid reflux, before you even leave the office, read the prescription in front of your clinician or one of the nurses. Make sure you can read the prescription and better still have the nurse write the brand or generic name of the medication if the hand writing of your clinician is not legible. Hand written prescriptions which are not legible is one source of medical errors that has resulted to deaths from overdose or wrong medications.

If you are friendly with your clinician, suggest a computerized medical record with prescriptions that can be faxed to your pharmacist. Some offices are now printing their prescriptions by using an electronic medical record system. In the coming few years, this will be the standard of practice because it is safer.

Example of Diagnostic Error   False Positive Biopsy   Prescription Error   Systems Errors   Flying Infusion Pump   Printed Prescription   Medical Errors a National Problem   Compunding Medication Error   Pediatric Surgery Errors

Leo Leonidas, MD, FAAP