Saturday, July 07, 2012

50% Heart Patients Make Medication Errors


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A recent research reveals that half of heart patients make mistakes with their medications, after getting discharged from a hospital. Medication errors were found to be common among people seeking advice of a pharmacist compared to those who did not. Missing prescriptions, incorrect doses and stopping medications before instructions were the most common medication errors.

The research conducted at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tenn., and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, observed medication pattern of heart patients after their discharge from hospital. It was found that even highly educated individuals had problems following instructions.

Study report published in Annals of Internal Medicine’s July issues explains how 50 percent of 851 participants had made one or more medication error. Among these patients, 23 percent were deemed to be serious while 1.8 percent cases were life-threatening.

The study underlines how vulnerable patients become after transition from hospital to home. Moreover, pharmacist’s assistance is identified as another factor to worsen heart issues

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