Cost of Medications Errors

A report by the Institute of Medicine, to congress found that medication errors are among the most common medical errors, and harm at least 1.5 million people every year. If you are hospitalized chances are you will be the victim of at least one medication error each day you are in hospital. Seniors are the largest group of health care consumers, spending more days in hospital than any other demographic group. It stands to reason that are also the group most harmed by medication errors - they take more medications on average. The report also estimates that the cost of additional treatment due to errors that occur in hospitals is about $3.5 billion each year.

If you or a loved one is a patient in a hospital you can help protect yourself from medication errors:

• If you cannot identify a medication you refuse to take it until you are sure it is ment for you
• Be sure the nurse dispensing medications establishes your identity before giving you any medication.
• Monitor medications being given to elderly or incapacitated loved one's - you are there to protect them.