With the sheer volume of medicines taken every day, there is ample opportunity for harm to occur.
In the U.S. alone, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/ National Center for Health Statistics estimated that:
While medication errors can be harmful with personal use, the stakes are much higher in healthcare settings where challenges, such as the sheer volume of medicines administered, similar drug names, hectic pace, and staffing shortages, can contribute to errors and have the capacity for more widespread harm.
Awareness, education, training, and analysis can help prevent medication errors. And while individual practitioners need to exercise the utmost care and good judgment, the healthcare industry and patients benefit when medication errors are addressed. According to ECRI’s affiliate, The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), many medication-related safety challenges still exist across the globe, including the need for more national reporting and learning systems, lack of medication safety officers in some healthcare organizations, and mix-ups involving COVID vaccines.
Again, medication errors are preventable, so organizations such as ours, and the World Health Organization (WHO), are advocating together in commemoration of World Patient Safety Day, which occurs each year on September 17. ECRI and ISMP join the WHO in working toward a safer, more affordable, equitable, and accessible care for patients everywhere. Together, we’re advocating for:
To support these efforts, ECRI and ISMP have launched our World Patient Safety Day website with educational resources and safety guidance to raise awareness of the risks of medication errors. Resources include guidelines and recommendations for practitioners and safety tips for consumers.
Learn more about how to prevent medication errors at ecri.org.