The July 2006 IOM Report on Medication Errors

For the second time in less than a decade, a report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) was released in July. The previous IOM report on the subject, released in 1999 and titled, 'To Err Is Human,' rocked the medical community when it estimated that 44,000-98,000 Americans die each year as a result of medical errors. Similarly, the report released in July documents significant shortcomings in the provision of medical services in this country and startlingly points out that medication errors continue to harm at least 1.5 million people every year. According to the new report, the problem is so serious that, on the average, a hospital patient is subject to at least one medication error per day. The IOM estimates that the additional costs of treating medication-related injuries ' those occurring in hospitals alone ' can conservatively be estimated at $3.5 billion per year. At least one quarter of all such injuries are apparently preventable.

18 minute read August 31, 2006 at 11:58 AM

By

Michael Brophy