Report: Drug Errors Injure More Than 1.5M
 (Washington, AP, 7/20/06)

Medication errors harm over 1.5 million Americans each year, according to the Institute of Medicine, an independent group that advises the US government on health matters,. The Institute found that America’s fragmented health care system does not adequately protect consumers from such mistakes and, in fact, routinely subjects hospital patients to at least one medication error a day. These experts call for safety systems, like electronic prescription writing to counter doctors’ poor handwriting and computer software that flashes alerts for incorrect dosages or conflicting drugs. The group backs bar-coding drugs to eliminate mix-ups in hospitals and pharmacies; recommends improvement in the quality of drug information leaflets; and advises the government to set up phone hotlines to help patients understand drug information. They also urge patients to proactively question health care providers about medications.