Analgesic-Related Medication Errors Reported to US Poison Control Centers
Abstract Objective This study investigates the characteristics and trends of medication errors involving analgesic medications. Design and Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted of analgesic-related medication errors reported to the National Poison Data System (NPDS) from 2000 through 2012....
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Published in | Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) Vol. 19; no. 12; pp. 2357 - 2370 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
England
Oxford University Press
01.12.2018
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | Abstract
Objective
This study investigates the characteristics and trends of medication errors involving analgesic medications.
Design and Methods
A retrospective analysis was conducted of analgesic-related medication errors reported to the National Poison Data System (NPDS) from 2000 through 2012.
Results
From 2000 through 2012, the NPDS received 533,763 reports of analgesic-related medication errors, averaging 41,059 medication errors annually. Overall, the rate of analgesic-related medication errors reported to the NPDS increased significantly by 82.6% from 2000 to 2009, followed by a 5.7% nonsignificant decrease from 2009 to 2012. Among the analgesic categories, rates of both acetaminophen-related and opioid-related medication errors reported to the NPDS increased during 2000–2009, but the opioid error rate leveled off during 2009–2012, while the acetaminophen error rate decreased by 17.9%. Analgesic-related medication errors involved nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (37.0%), acetaminophen (35.5%), and opioids (23.2%). Children five years or younger accounted for 38.8% of analgesics-related medication errors. Most (90.2%) analgesic-related medication errors were managed on-site, rather than at a health care facility; 1.6% were admitted to a hospital, and 1.5% experienced serious medical outcomes, including 145 deaths. The most common type of medication error was inadvertently taking/given the medication twice (26.6%).
Conclusion
Analgesic-related medication errors are common, and although most do not result in clinical consequences, they can have serious adverse outcomes. Initiatives associated with the decrease in acetaminophen-related medication errors among young children merit additional research and potential replication as a model combining government policy and multisectoral collaboration. |
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ISSN: | 1526-2375 1526-4637 |
DOI: | 10.1093/pm/pnx272 |