Safety and Errors

Over the past half-century a wide variety of medicinal drugs have been produced, and fheir usage has resulted in an impressive reduction in many potentially catastrophic conditions. Although there are many advantages of modern drug therapy, almost all medications possess the potential for harm from adverse drug evenfs [1]. 

A medication error is an example of a preventable cause of an adverse drug event and is defined as any preventable event that may result in incorrect medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of a consumer, a healfh care professional, or a patient [4,5]. Medication-related errors result in deaths or serious injuries infrequently, but a sizable number of people each year are affecfed due to the widespread use of various types of drugs bofh oufside and wifhin the hospital environments [6]. 

This chapter presents various important aspects of medication safety and errors. 

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The edueation and dissemination of information is another primary objective of ISMP—Spain If everyone understands the nature and causes of medication errors, there is a much greater possibility of improving patient safety. In this sense, ISMP—Spain makes educational presentations and holds conferences at healthcare professional meetings to provide information about adverse drug events. ISMP—Spain also publishes opinion articles and practical articles in Spanish healthcare journals in an effort to broadly disseminate a culture of safety and error prevention. 

Nakhleh, R. E., Patient Safety and Error Reduction in Surgical Pathology, Arc/imes of Pathology Laboratory Medicine, Vol. 132, February 2008, pp. 181-185. 

Write an essay on medical device safety and errors. 

Helmreich, R.L. and Merritt, A.C. (2000), Safety and Error Management The Role of Crew Resource Management, ia Aviation Resource Management eds Hayward, B. J. and Lowe, A.R., Aldershot, UK Ashgate. 

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