More fatal medical errors at the beginning of the month Posted by frayam at 04/19/05 11:22 AM

Consumers should be extra cautious the first few days of each month, as deaths from medication errors increase 25% above normal, according to new research by the University of California, San Diego. A 9-page special report is published in the January 2005 issue of Pharmacotherapy, Official Journal of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy.

Accidental drug-related deaths have increased rapidly over the past 25 years, in a way that is not congruent to the number of prescriptions filled. This suggests that the increase in deaths is not due to increased drug consumption. Researcher David Phillips, Ph.D. says the problem comes from greater pharmacy workloads at the beginning of each month.

1/06/05 article from the Science Daily:

"Government assistance payments to the old, the sick and the poor are typically received at the beginning of each month. Because of this, there is a beginning-of-the-month spike in purchases of prescription medicines," Phillips says. "Pharmacy workloads go up and – in line with both evidence and experience – error rates go up as well. Our data suggest that the mortality spike occurs at least partly because of this phenomenon."

To reduce the medication-error death rate, Phillips suggests that pharmacies (that don’t already do so) consider increasing staffing levels at the beginning of the month and that government officials consider spreading assistance payments out over the entire month.

"Even in the absence of policy changes or further research," Phillips says, "it is appropriate for both patients and clinical staff to be especially careful to check the accuracy of their prescriptions at the beginning of each month. If this is done, it seems plausible that some lives will be saved."

With 17,000 trade and generic drugs on the market, some human error is inevitable. Poor communication and misinterpreted handwriting is some of the problem. Just listen to these names: Celebrex and Cerebyx! On top of that confusion, there is a mind-boggling list of drugs that can not be combined with other medicines, and patients do not always understand directions.

That's when technology can step up to the plate. Handheld computers can be used to write, check and fill prescriptions and eliminate some human error. Other methods to reduce deadly medication errors include bedside bar code technologies. The American Medical Association says these types of technological improvement are key to providing patients with the best possible care.

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