An essay contest sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution spurred an entry by a woman left severely disabled by her life threatening pharmacy error injury. A pharmacy error led to the woman accidentally being given a blood thinner, instead of her diabetes medication (subscription required to view). The…
An 87 year old woman suffering an asthma attack was taken to a local hospital in Winnipeg by her granddaughter. The woman’s granddaughter, who brought her to the hospital, thought that the treatment would be routine. What followed, however, was far from it. The woman reportedly ended up on life…
Following the widespread contamination problems at several compounding facilities, hospitals and pharmacies have begun to reevaluate the potential options for improving sterility and quality of compounded IV fluids and related products. One potential option is the use of robots in lieu of pharmacists or technicians. One such robot is called…
Last month, the Florida House of Representatives passed a bill, by a vote of 101 to 16, that would double the number of pharmacy technicians each pharmacist can supervise from three to six. The pharmacists remain responsible for signing off on all of the medication orders, regardless of whether they…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently updated one of its website pages regarding medication error and consumer awareness. One of the stories included is a cautionary tale for all hospitalized individuals receiving medication intravenously. When a 9 year old girl shattered her elbow on the soccer field, her M.D.…
Authorities for Alberta Health Services (AHS), located in Edmonton, recently announced another major pharmaceutical error, which this time may have impacted some 186 sick children. This is the third major pharmaceutical/compounding error that has been announced within the Canadian healthcare system within the past month. According to a statement from…
In an ironic finding, considering a recent article indicated that ordering drugs via a computer order entry system actually decreased the risk for error, a new study analyzed by Pharmacy Practice News concluded that Electronic Health Records (EHRs) may lead to an increase in medication and other treatment errors. The…
Canadian officials have recently announced the recall of a particular lot of birth control pills called Alysena 28. The recall affects a small number of packages which contained 14 placebo and 14 active pills rather than 21 active pills and 7 placebo. Women who are taking the pill in order…
Canadian officials recently announced their discovery that over 1,000 patients undergoing chemotherapy over the past year have received diluted versions of their medications. Affected patients were receiving treatment for breast, lung and bladder cancers. Seventeen patients at one hospital alone have died since beginning treatment. One center reported more than…
A recent article published in the Pharmacy Times, describes the astounding results of a study regarding the use of computerized provider order entry (CPOE) systems in hospitals. The study determined that as of 2008, the use of such systems has helped to avoid more than 17 million medication errors per…