• E-mail
• Print
• RSS

Medication errors hurt one in 10 residents

LTC Liability Monitor, March 2, 2005

Medication errors are all too common among nursing home residents, with nearly one in 10 nursing home residents the victim of a medication-related injury each month, according to a study done by the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Seventy-three percent of the errors that led to the most severe types of harm, including internal bleeding and death, could have been prevented, researchers told The Boston Globe. The study's authors said that nursing homes are years behind hospitals in making the changes that prevent medication errors, such as computerized ordering systems.

The Massachusetts Coalition for the Prevention of Medical Errors recently snagged a nearly $200,000 grant to work with 25 nursing homes to reduce drug-related errors, The Globe reported. The coalition has not yet selected the 25 facilities.

• E-mail to a Colleague
• Print
• RSS
• Archive