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Article: RESEARCHERS REPORT SURGE IN DEATHS DUE TO MEDICATION ERRORS
- Article from:
- The Boston Globe (Boston, MA)
- Article date:
- February 27, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1998 The Boston Globe. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The number of Americans who died from medication errors rose
sharply between 1983 and 1993, according to a new study, and
researchers say the trend appears to be continuing. One underlying
cause may be the radical shift in patients' medical care from
hospitals to outpatient settings.
An examination of all US death certificates over the 10-year
period, the most recent data available to the researchers, found
that fatal medication errors had increased 2.6-fold. But among
outpatients, the jump in such deaths was 8.5-fold.
The death of a patient in a hospital is recorded as an
"inpatient death." The "outpatient" category encompasses people who