Medication Error: An All-Too-Common Preventable Problem
I have written previously about National Patient Safety initiatives and the need to ensure that all physicians do whatever possible to reduce medication errors. Whether it is writing more clearly, using only “approved” abbreviations, monitoring side effects, or other techniques, morbidity and mortality from medication use can be reduced. A couple of months ago, I watched on national television as a celebrity couple discussed a medication error that occurred when their twins were born. Apparently, the babies were given one form of heparin that contained 10,000 units/mL when they should h...
