Report Details Medication Mistakes During Surgery

By Admin on March 07, 2007 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Surgery patients are most likely to be harmed by medication mistakes that occur during the "fragmented system" of patient transfers between preoperative rooms, operating rooms, and recovery, according to a report released by the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), a non-profit organization that sets standards for pharmaceutical care in the U.S.

According to the report, surgery patients "face an increased risk of harmful medication errors throughout the surgery process due to a lack of comprehensive oversight of medications." The report finds young children most at risk for medication errors during surgery, "with nearly 12% of pediatric medication errors resulting in harm." Most of the medication errors involved the administration of antibiotics and painkillers.

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