Drug Errors in Hospitals and Doctors' Offices Injure Millions

Jack Landskroner

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Medical Malpractice continues to plague patients across the country. One of the most concerning areas of negligence involves drug errors in the recommendation, use and filling of prescription medication.

More than 1.5 million Americans are injured every year by drug errors in hospitals, nursing homes and doctor's offices, a count that doesn't even estimate patients' own medication mix-ups, says a report that calls for major steps to increase patient safety.

Unfortunately the medical community has does a less than adequate job of regulating its doctors, its policies and protecting patients. Perhaps the most stunning finding of the report was that, on average, a hospitalized patient is subject to at least one medication error per day, despite intense efforts to improve hospital care in the six years since the institute began focusing attention on medical mistakes of all kinds.

For more information see the Institute of Medicine report issued July 20, 2006.