Errors such as giving patients the wrong drug dose, delivering medication at the wrong time, giving patients an unauthorized drug or forgetting to give patients their medicine occurred in nearly one out of every five medication doses given in hospitals and nursing facilities included in this study.
The study findings underscore the need to revamp the medication delivery and administration systems of US hospitals.Possible ways to improve the delivery of medication include automation, robotics and bar code systems. The findings are based on observations made at 36 hospitals and nursing facilities in Colorado and Georgia. A trained research pharmacist verified all observations.
Overall, mistakes were made in nearly 20% of doses given. The most common errors were:
Archives of Internal Medicine September 9, 2002;162:1897-1903
This is not a new issue. One of the recurrent themes in my newsletter is the breakdown of the current US healthcare system, and this study adds more evidence to my case. We have the technology to prevent this kind of human error, yet the bureaucratic healthcare system can't break through the red tape they've created and solve this problem quickly and efficiently. This is a tragedy, especially since these medication errors surely have sparked severe health situations and resulted in deaths.
Not only does the US healthcare system need to revamp its delivery and administration systems, but it also needs to look at the drugs themselves. Drugs are not the answer. Instead of reaching this point -- where we have to analyze errors in administering drugs -- we should be seeking to prevent needing them!
As I have continually maintained, your diet is your first line of defense against disease. My eating plan will start you on the road to better health. Additionally, you must attune yourself to your mental and physical fitness. I will attest to my personal success with EFT and other excellent techniques to address discomfort and disease. I encourage you to read through the information I've posted in the past on the problems in the US healthcare system below.
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Drugs and Medical Errors Killing 1 of Every 5 Australian
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Blunders By Doctors Kill 40,000 a Year in Britain
Ten Percent of ER Visits in Elderly Due to Drug Reactions
Study shows errors giving clot dissolving drugs may kill