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Article: Managing medication errors--a qualitative study.(Research for Practice)
- Article from:
- MedSurg Nursing
- Article date:
- June 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Jannetti Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The Institute of Medicine reports 44,000 to 98,000 people die in hospitals annually as a result of medical errors that could have been prevented (Kohn, Corrigan, & Donaldson, 2000). Medication errors accounted for 7,391 deaths in 1993, compared to 2,876 deaths in 1983 (Kohn et al., 2000). These medication errors and the adverse reactions connected with them result in increased length of stay, increased cost, patient disability, and death.
The medication delivery process is complex and involves hand-offs between many individuals and departments. Errors may occur at any of the process steps: prescription, transcription, dispensing, or administration. Most ...