Abstract

MEDICATION ERRORS: AN OVERVIEW

Sara Yeldhos*, Anjana Baby, Jasmy E. S., Sharon Ann Varghese, Megha Anna Varghese and Priyanka S.

Abstract

In healthcare system even a small error can lead to fatal or disastrous situations thus the scope of errors should be minimal. A medication error is any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health care professional, patient, or consumer. Such events may be related to professional practice, healthcare products, procedures and systems, including prescribing; order communication; product labelling, packaging, and nomenclature; compounding; dispensing; distribution; administration; education; monitoring; use. Medication errors are burden to economy and create hardship to common people. Medication errors are burden to economy and create hardship to common people. Annually the total cost of medication error related costs exceeds $40 billion. Patients also go through phases of mental stress and trauma rather than the perceived financial hardship due to medication errors The pharmacist should accept the social mandate to ensure the safe and effective drug therapy of an individual patient, only then the pharmacist reprofessionalization will be completed. The social responsibility should be accepted by the pharmacist to nurture and mature to prevent the drug related morbidity and mortality.

Keywords: Medication error, Adverse drug reactions, healthcare system, morbidity pharmacist.