The Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports that medication errors harm at least 1.5 million patients every year. This figure includes drug errors in hospitals, nursing homes, and among Medicare outpatients. 

But it is a conservative estimate because it does not account for drug errors in doctors' offices or by patients themselves.

All told, there are more than 300,000 over-the-counter medications and over 10,000 prescription drugs on the market, according to the IOM study. It also points out that four of five U.S. adults take at least one medication in any given week.

It also notes that "When all types of errors are taken into account, a hospital patient can expect on average to be subjected to more than one medication error each day." 

The IOM study, titled Preventing Medication Errors, provides recommendations for reforming the healthcare system to prevent and reduce medication errors, including electronic prescribing. The study is online at:  http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3809/22526/35939.aspx

"Study: Medication Errors Harm 1.5M a Year," USA Today, July 21, 2006:
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/health/2006-07-20-drug-errors_x.htm

"Report: Drug Errors Injure More Than 1.5M," Associated Press, July 20, 2006:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?=/n/a/2006/07/20/national/w142049D97.DTL&type=politics

Provided by Institute for Health Freedom on 8/18/2006