Preventing Medication Errors

In 1996 the Institute of Medicine launched the Quality Chasm Series, a series of reports focused on assessing and improving the nation's quality of health care. Preventing Medication Errors is the newest volume in the series. Responding to the key messages in earlier volumes of the series?To Err Is Human (2000), Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), and Patient Safety (2004)?this book sets forth an agenda for improving the safety of medication use. It begins by providing an overview of the system for drug development, regulation, distribution, and use. Preventing Medication Errors also examines the peer-reviewed literature on the incidence and the cost of medication errors and the effectiveness of error prevention strategies. Presenting data that will foster the reduction of medication errors, the book provides action agendas detailing the measures needed to improve the safety of medication use in both the short- and long-term. Patients, primary health care providers, health care organizations, purchasers of group health care, legislators, and those affiliated with providing medications and medication- related products and services will benefit from this guide to reducing medication errors.Table of ContentsFront MatterSummary1 IntroductionPart I Understanding the Causes and Costs of Medication Errors2 Overview of the Drug Development, Regulation, Distribution, andUse System3 Medication Errors: Incidence and CostPart II Moving Toward a Patient-Centered, Integrated Medication-UseSystem4 Action Agenda to Support the Consumer-Provider-Partnership5 Action Agenda for Health Care Organizations6 Action Agenda for the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, and HealthInformation Technology Industries7 Applied Research Agenda for Safe Medication Use8 Action Agendas for Oversight, Regulation, and PaymentAppendix A Biographical Sketches of Committee MembersAppendix B Glossary of Terms and AcronymsAppendix C Medication Errors: Incidence RatesAppendix D Medication Errors: Prevention StrategiesIndex