Medication errors are an unfortunate yet avoidable part of the healthcare system in the United States. While technology, training, and oversight aimed at reducing medication errors have improved over the years, these instances continue to occur. According to the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), Maryland medication errors cost patients, consumers, and the healthcare system millions of dollars. Further, data indicate that medication errors harm over 1.5 million people each year.
Medication errors are preventable events that result in inappropriate medication use and patient harm. The events may stem from a healthcare professional’s conduct, a specific product, or a system. For instance, errors may stem from communicating prescriptions, dispensing or administration, marketing or labeling, or monitoring. Many errors stem from illegible handwritten prescriptions, missing information, incorrect drugs or dosage, orally transmitted prescriptions, or medication samples.
While advanced technology, reporting technology, and monitoring address some of the common causes of medication errors, there are fundamental issues with addressing systematic attitudes of blame and liability. Medication errors can result in serious formal punishment against the healthcare provider. These punishments can include fines, license suspension, or revocation. As a result, many healthcare providers focus on shifting blame rather than addressing the system issues that caused the error.