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Article: Combating Medication Errors.(similar drug names and labeling may lead to confusion)(Brief Article)
- Article from:
- Chain Drug Review
- Article date:
- August 27, 2001
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2001 Racher Press, 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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WASHINGTON -- Despite widespread publicity concerning the dangers of sound-alike and look-alike drug names, tens of thousands of Americans continue to face life-threatening risks because of medication mix-ups, warns the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO).
The group has established a comprehensive database identifying the causes of such errors. Industry analysts say that similar drug names (either written or spoken) account for about 15% of all medication error reports.
In a recent issue of Sentinel Event Alert, the JCAHO newsletter, the group attributes dangers to confusion between similar brand names and generic ...