Medication errors are "any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm, while the medication is in the control of the healthcare professional, patient, or consumer" (see http://www.nccmerp.org/aboutMedErrors.html). These errors may be related to professional practice, the product itself, and/or the procedures and systems related to distribution, dispensing and administration of drugs. For instance, drugs may be given names, shapes, or colors similar to other medications. Similarities in product packaging may result in confusion among healthcare professionals charged with dispensing drugs or among patients taking drugs at home.
Although medication errors can and do occur - FDA has received over 95,000 reports of medication errors from the year 2000 to 2008 - it is difficult to assess how frequently such errors occur in medical and pharmacy practice. Medication errors such as those involving the wrong drug, an extra or wrong dose, omission of a drug, administering a drug by the wrong route or at an incorrect time are commonly reported to the FDA. Many of these errors can be prevented simply by communicating more effectively. However, some types of errors may require additional interventions such as a change in the product name, labeling and/or packaging to help minimize the likelihood of further confusion. Continued training and vigilance is essential in helping healthcare professionals and FDA reduce the likelihood of an error being made. Reporting medication errors to FDA via MedWatch, or to FDA's partners in this effort, the Institute for Safe Medical Practices (ISMP) and the U.S. Pharmacopeia via their MedMarx program, helps FDA identify factors leading to errors that can be corrected, lessening the likelihood of their recurrence.
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