Medical errors account for between 44,000 to 98,000 deaths in the United States each year. (1)
Medical errors are the eighth leading cause of death in the United States, occur at a rate greater than motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS. (1)
Over 770,000 patients are injured because of medication errors every year. (2)
Medication errors account for at least 7,000 deaths in the United States each year.
Medication errors occur in nearly 1 of every 5 doses given to patients in the typical hospital.(3)
Reported rates of adverse drug events (ADEs) range from 2.4 to 6.1 ADEs per 100 admissions or discharges, or 9.1 to 19 ADEs per 1000 patient days. (4-12)
Medication Administration Errors
Administration errors account for 38% of medication errors. (13)
Only 2% of drug administration errors are intercepted. (13)
The errors made during administration often result in an adverse drug event (ADE), while errors made earlier in the medication use process are less likely to reach the patient undetected.
Safety at the point of care is one of the greatest areas for potential improvement in the medication use process.
Medication Error Costs
The cost of medication errors is $4,685 (1993 dollars) per preventable ADE. (14)
Annual cost of medication errors is approximately $2.8 million for a 700-bed teaching hospital. (14)
These figures include costs related to extended patient stays, but exclude the costs of injuries to patients, malpractice costs, and added length of patient stays due to ADEs. (14)
The median compensation award for medication errors was $668,000 per award in 2000. (15)
It is estimated that the annual national costs of preventable adverse drug events is $2 billion. (14)
Intravenous (IV) Medication Errors - Posing the Greatest Risk of Harm
54% of potential ADE's are associated with IV medications. (11)
In studies, it was found that adverse drug events occurred between 2.9 to 3.7 percent of hospitalizations. (12-14)
61% of the serious and life-threatening errors are associated with IV medications. (Communication with D.W. Bates, October 2001)
56% of medication errors are associated with IV medications. (15)
1. Kohn, LT, JM Corrigan and MS Donaldson, ed. To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. Washington, DC: National Academy Press; 1999.
3. Barker KN, Flynn EA, Pepper GA, PhD, Bates DW, Mikeal RL. Medication errors observed in 36 health care facilities. Arch Intern Med 2002;162:1897-1903.
4. Bates DW, Cullen DJ, Laird N, et al. Incidence of adverse drug events and potential adverse drug events. Implications for prevention. ADE prevention study group. JAMA 1995 274:29-34.
5. Bates DW, Boyle DL, Vander Vliet MB, Schneider J, Leape L. Relationship between medication errors and adverse drug events. J Gen Intern Med 1995;10:199-205.
6. Brennan TA, Leape LL, Laird, NM, et al. Incidence of adverse events and negligence in hospitalized patients: Results of the Harvard Medical practice Study I. (DATE/)
7. Cullen DJ, Sweitzer BJ, Bates, DW, et al.. Preventable adverse drug events in hospitalized patients: A comparative study of intensive care and general units. Crit Care Med 1997; 25:1289-1297.
8. Thomas EJ, Stuodert DM, Burstin HR, et al. Incidence and types of adverse events and negligent care in Utah and Colorado. Med Care 2000; 38:261-271.
9. Classen DC, Pestonik SL, Evans RS, Lloyd JF, Burke JP. Adverse drug events in hospitalized patients. JAMA 1997; 277:301-306.
10. Lazarou J, Pomeranz BH, Corey PN. Incidence of adverse drug reaction in hospitalized patients. JAMA 1998; 279:1200-1205.
11. Kaushal R, Bates DW, Landrigan C, et al. Medication errors and adverse drug events in pediatric inpatients. JAMA 2001; 285:2114-2120.
12. Thomas EJ, Brennan TA. Incidence and types of preventable adverse events in elderly patients: population based review of medical records. BMF 2000; 320:741-744.
13. Leape LL, Bates DW, Cullen DJ et al. Systems analysis of adverse drug events. JAMA 1995; 274:35-43.
14. Bates DW, Spell N, Cullen DJ, et al. The costs of adverse drug events in hospitalized patients. JAMA. 1997; 277:307-311.
15. Medical malpractice verdicts, settlement and statistical analysis, Jury Verdict Research. Referenced by: Albert, T. Liability insurance crisis: Bigger awards just one factor. April 15, 2002. Available at: http://www.ama-assn.org
