Did you know that more people
are at risk of dying
from a medical error
than a fatal highway accident, breast cancer or even AIDS?
Last year, a report from the National Academy of Sciences’
Institute of Medicine (IOM) estimated that between 44,000
and 98,000 patients die annually from medical mistakes.
So who is responsible? According to Dr. Eric Wittbrodt,
assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at University of
the Sciences in Philadelphia, many parties contribute to
the problem, from physicians to patients.
"In hospitals, the errors
can be from doses being dispensed too high or adverse drug
reactions that weren’t foreseen," says Dr. Wittbrodt.
"In the community, errors can arise when patients stop
taking their medication or they take too much or too little
of a prescribed drug. The number of medical errors reported
is alarming. The IOM has reported a two-percent frequency
of in-hospital medical errors. Several published studies
have reported a 10-to-20-percent frequency of hospital admissions
due to medication-related events. Analyses of intensive
care unit admissions yielded similar numbers-approximately
one in every five ICU admissions related to medications."
These numbers, according to
Dr. Wittbrodt, could cause individuals to be reluctant to
seek medical attention when they become sick unless measures
are taken to help reduce medical errors. He noted that the
IOM, healthcare agencies and even the government are creating
task forces to address this situation. The United States
Congress has created the National Center for Patient Safety
within the Department of Health and Human Services to find
ways to diminish medical errors. It has a goal of reducing
such errors by 50 percent within five years.
Dr. Wittbrodt says technology
will play a huge part in diminishing medical errors in hospitals.
More and more hospitals across the country are developing
computerized physician order-entry systems to help reduce
misinterpretations of hard-to-read written prescriptions.
Some centers also are using electronic medical record systems
to assist in tracking patients’ health histories. Instant
access to online health sites is another asset.
"It is incumbent upon
everyone who touches the medication process-from the point
of prescribing to drug ingestion by the patient-to be vigilant
about verifying the appropriateness of the medication given.
Patients’ awareness about their disease
and its treatment empowers them to ask questions of their
health-care providers in an educated manner. This is true
in both the inpatient and outpatient care settings."
To arrange an interview
with Dr. Wittbrodt, contact John M. Martino at (215) 895-1186.
