Medication errors in hospitals that are both common and potentially fatal can be easily and substantially reduced according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
By prescribing medications through computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems medical professionals could decrease the likelihood of error on that order by 48 percent, leading to an estimated 17.4 million medication errors averted in the U.S. each year.
CPOE systems allow medication orders to be communicated over a computer network and, in turn, decreasing the risk of human errors including delays in order completion, handwriting or transcription errors, and the ordering of duplicate or incorrect doses or tests.
Despite the systems' effectiveness at preventing medication errors, adoption and use in U.S. hospitals remains modest. Read the full details here:
Reduction in medication errors in hospitals due to...
Medication errors cost thousands of lives each year. A new computer system, which is designed to stop medication errors at the pharmacy level, is both an improvement and long overdue.
If you or anyone in your family has suffered serious side effects or damages from a medication error you should seek legal investigation immediately. Crandall & Pera Law is available to help answer your questions and guide you in determining your next steps.