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IOM issues new report on medication errors, makes recommendations

Accreditation Connection, July 24, 2006

Medication errors are among the most common medical errors, harming at least 1.5 million people every year, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM), released July 20.

The extra medical costs of treating drug-related injuries occurring in hospitals alone conservatively amount to $3.5 billion a year, according to the report, and this estimate does not take into account lost wages and productivity or additional healthcare costs.

The committee that wrote the report made recommendations for patients, healthcare organizations, government agencies, and pharmaceutical companies. The recommendations include steps to increase communication and improve interactions between healthcare professionals and patients, as well as steps patients should take to protect themselves.

The report also recommends the creation of new, consumer-friendly information resources through which patients can access objective, easy-to-understand drug information. In addition, the report calls for all prescriptions to be written electronically by 2010 and suggests ways to improve the naming, labeling, and packaging of drugs to reduce confusion and prevent errors.

Click here for access to information about the report.

The study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Click here to read a statement about the report from CMS made July 21.

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