The Institute of Medicine recently published the conclusion of their study on prescription errors. The results were shocking to both the health care community and the general public.
As a pharmacist, I fill prescriptions on a regular basis. About 10% of those that are written I honestly have to look at closely. Approximately 1% require a second opinion from another pharmacist or technician. If we disagree, I call the doctor to be certain we are dispensing the correct medication.
Many errors involve medications that look or sound alike. This can pose a problem also. Medications like clonidine for blood pressure and Klonopin for anxiety can be confused. Other examples include Zantac for stomach acid and Zyrtec for allergies or Avinza, which is a type of morphine and Evista, which is used to prevent osteoporosis.
Fortunately, many of the sound alike drugs have different strengths associated with them. So being able to read the strength, like 150mg for Zantac and 10mg for Zyrtec, can help with the determination of the drug.
According to the study by the Institute of Medicine, at least 1.5 million Americans are sickened, injured, or killed each year by medication errors. Another study concluded that about 15% of the errors are due to poor doctor handwriting.
The study estimated that drug errors cause more than 400,000 preventable injuries and deaths in hospitals each year, over 530,000 among Medicare recipients treated in outpatient clinics, and more than 800,000 in nursing homes and facilities for the elderly.
Perhaps the most stunning finding of the report was that, on average, a hospitalized patient is subject to at least one medication error per day. A preventable drug error can add almost $6,000 to the hospital bill of a single patient. This extra expense was estimated conservatively to be $3.5 billion a year.
So, if most people in the health care industry know that these errors are occurring, then why are they happening so frequently?
It has to do with the sheer volume that the health care system has. There are more than 10,000 prescription drugs on the market that you can get at you local pharmacy. Four of every five U.S. adults take at least one medication every day and almost one in three take five or more prescription drugs per day. Also, a growing older population is using more drugs, and advertising campaigns on television and radio have increased awareness and demand for certain medications.
The number of written prescriptions has doubled in the last 10 years and the number of pharmacists to fill those prescriptions has increased just 13%. So the workload is increasing very rapidly and the speed at which the pharmacist is expected to deliver those prescriptions is incredible. It's like driving your car, the faster you go, the more distractions you have, the more the likelihood of making a mistake and their being an accident.
To avoid these errors, three things can be done to help.
Doctors could use electronic prescribing, hospitals should have a standardized bar-code system for checking and dispensing drugs, and patients should make more of an effort to know about the drugs they take.
Right now, less than 15% of prescriptions are done electronically, or even printed from a computer which certainly makes them easier to read. Less than 6% of all hospitals use the bar code system and less than 3% have electronic patient records. It is difficult enough reading one prescription in a doctor's handwriting let alone an entire medical chart.
Knowing your medication is an important step that you can take. One study found parents gave their children the wrong dose of over-the-counter fever medications 47% of the time. So half the time mom is giving little Johnny the wrong dose because she read the directions wrong. It just takes a simple call to the doctor or pharmacist.
Knowing your medication is vital. It is your responsibility to know the name of your medicine and why you are taking it. So many people want me to refill their little white pill or the one they take for blood pressure. That is not being responsible for your health and safety. If you cannot pronounce the medication, then write it down on a piece of paper and keep it in your wallet or purse. It is very important to know what you are taking.
If you get home and your medication looks different; a different color or a different shape, don't assume anything, call the pharmacy where you purchased the medicine. If you are getting a generic medication, the size, shape, and color can be different if it is made by a different manufacturer.
Read, understand, and follow the instructions for each drug you take. More than 50% of patients don't take their medications exactly as prescribed.
Dr. West Conner is a pharmacist, consultant, speaker, and the author of the incredibly popular "How To Save Money On Your Prescription Drugs." He is currently active in assisting clients who are having difficulty affording their prescription drugs. Through his many years of practice, Dr. Conner has developed a number of unique and creative ways to lower prescription costs. He is also a frequent radio and television guest personality. Visit http://www.rxcostcutters.com for more details.
