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Article: Avoiding abbreviations can improve patient safety.(Editorial)
- Article from:
- AORN Journal
- Article date:
- November 1, 2007
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 Association of Operating Room Nurses, 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 use of abbreviations in health care settings leads to an increase in medication errors, according to an August 16, 2007, news release from the Joint Commission. Communication problems are the Leading cause of sentinel events reported to the Joint Commission, and using abbreviations can hinder communication.
Researchers collected and analyzed data on errors resulting from the use of abbreviations that were reported to the US Pharmacopeia's MEDMARX[R] medication error database between 2004 and 2006. The study showed that nearly 5% of all medication errors reported during this time period were attributable to abbreviation use. In addition,
* the most ...