Medication Errors

Reports and Articles

• All articles from Drug Topics are reprinted with the permission of Drug Topics, Medical Economics Co, April 2002.  
   
  • Wisniewski L; Holquist C. The absence of a trade name does not equal a generic drug Drug Topics 2005, Oct 10.
  • Mahmud AR; Holquist C. Allergic reactions associated with food Drug Topics 2004, Jan 10.
  •  Wisniewski L; Holquist C. Generic Name Confusion  Drug Topics, 2003, Oct 6.
  • Kim HJ; Phillips J. Medication errors associated with Serzone and Seroquel. Drug Topics 2002; Jan 7; 146(1); 38. 
  • Lee M; Phillips J.  Transdermal patches: High risk for error? Drug Topics 2002; April 1; 146(7); 54. 
  • Thomas MR; Hoquist C; Phillips J. Med error reports to FDA show a mixed bag. Drug Topics 2001; Oct. 1; 145(19); 23. 
  • Holquist C; Phillips J. Curbing med errors involving Anzemet, Bentyl. Drug Topics 2001; July 2; 145(13); 42. 
  • Holquist C; Phillips J.  How FDA reviews drug names. Drug Topics 2001; April 2;145(17): 36. 
     
• FDA Performance Plan 2002:  Reduce adverse events related to medical products.   This section of the Performance Plan describes FDA's strategies to reduce preventable deaths and injuries associated with the use of medical products.
   
• Retrospective analysis of mortalities associated with medication errors.  This American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy article by Jerry Phillips, Associate Director, Office of  Drug Safety, and others, discusses the types, causes, contributing factors, and patient demographics of fatal medication errors.  (The complete article can be downloaded in Acrobat PDF format (requires an Acrobat Reader, which is free).
   
• Food and Drug Administration Science Background: Safety of Sodium Phosphates Oral Solution.  The Division of Over-the-Counter Drug Products has posted a science backgrounder that provides safety information to health care practitioners concerning dosage warnings about the risks of sodium phosphate products. 
   
• Final Summary of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Action Items - Doing What Counts for Patient Safety: Federal Actions to Reduce Medical Errors and Their Impact.  
   
• To Err is Human:  Building a Safer Health System.  This 1999 report from the Institute of Medicine describes a comprehensive approach to improving patient safety by designing safety into the health care system.
   
• Managing the Risks from Medical Product Use: Creating a Risk Management Framework.   For every medical product FDA approves, the Agency has to balance the benefits of the product against any risks it may pose.  This 1999 report to the FDA Commissioner from the Task Force on Risk Management reviews the programs currently in place that help the agency make these decisions.
   
• FDA Consumer Magazine, September-October 2000.  "Make No Mistake:  Medical Errors can be Deadly Serious."
   
• FDA Medical Bulletin, "Medication Errors" (Summer 1997). This article describes measures taken by FDA to avoid confusion with Brevibloc injection dosage forms.
   
• Medication Error Program. This 1999 slide presentation by Jerry Phillips, RPH, Associate Director, Office of Drug Safety, explains how the Office  plans to increase the safe use of drug products by minimizing user error related to the labeling and/or packaging of the product.
   
• Proprietary Name Review for Unithroid.  Summary of medication errors with levothyroxine.
   
• Patient Safety Resource Center  Information from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
   
• The National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention

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Last Updated: April 21, 2006
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