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New Report on Patient Medication Mistakes Brings Exposure to a Serious and Growing Problem

Posted on: Wednesday, 30 July 2008, 18:00 CDT

A study published in the July 28 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine showed a tremendous surge in the number of people who die at home from the unsafe use of perfectly legal medications. While many studies and articles have been published on "medication errors," this study is different because it focuses on mistakes made by patients in the home rather than by healthcare providers in clinical settings.

Errors of this nature are a significant part of the medication errors universe, which the Pharmacy Foundation of California has been working hard to address.

"When you realize that the vast majority of medications are taken in peoples' homes where they have little to no professional support, you can see that medication errors in clinical settings are very likely a small part of the overall problem," said Dr. Michael Negrete, pharmacist and CEO of the non-profit Pharmacy Foundation of California. "That's why several years ago we helped facilitate the creation and release of a report on medication errors in the outpatient setting."

The report was the outcome of a California Senate Resolution authored by Senator Jackie Sprier and sponsored by the California Pharmacists Association. The resolution called for the creation of an expert panel to study the causes of errors in the outpatient setting and develop recommendations for how they can be addressed. The recommendations are included in the Panel's report, which can be viewed at www.PharmacyFoundation.org.

"A key finding of the Panel was the central role that consumers must play in preventing these types of errors," continued Dr. Negrete. "In fact, more than one quarter of all the Panel's recommendations relate in some way to enhancing consumer awareness about this important problem and educating them about their role in solving it. Unfortunately, having consumers play their part is easier said than done." This challenge has been a major focus for the Pharmacy Foundation.

During the last year, the Pharmacy Foundation has learned that while most Americans are aware of the overall medication errors problem, the vast majority do not believe they are at risk for being harmed by an error. "Too often, people make the mistake of assuming that their doctors and pharmacists have all the information and time they need to ensure the safety of their medication therapy," stated Negrete. "Unfortunately, as more of us take increasing numbers of medications from multiple doctors and pharmacies, that's rapidly becoming the exception rather than the rule."

To help address this problem, the Pharmacy Foundation of California has begun an effort to bring patients, providers and other stakeholders together to develop a consumer education and awareness campaign that will help consumers identify and change the behaviors that put them at risk for being harmed by a medication (not telling their doctor and pharmacist about all of the medications they take, not knowing what effects and tests to expect and when, etc). For more information, please visit www.PharmacyFoundation.org.

Source: Business Wire

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