Between 210,000 and 400,000 hospital patients per year suffer some type of preventable harm that contributes to their death, making medical errors the third leading cause of death in the United States. James, John T., Ph.D., “A New Evidence-Based Estimate of Patient Harms Associated With Hospital Care,” Journal of Patient Safety, 2013-Vol. 19-Issue 3:122-128; Marshall Allen, “How Many Die From Medical Mistakes in U.S. Hospitals?” ProPublica, Sept. 20, 2013.
A Variety of Problems
Medication errors can arise from administration of the wrong drug, dosage, frequency and duration. Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems have reduced sources of medication errors but have also introduced new ones. Medication errors can be reduced by eliminating illegible handwriting, preventing incomplete prescription information, tracking drug interactions and identifying contraindications. Understanding the benefits and limitations of CPOE systems is essential in investigating potential claims.
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