In 1996 the Institute of Medicine launched the Quality Chasm Series, a
series of reports focused on assessing and improving the nation's quality of
health care. Preventing Medication Errors is the newest volume in the series.
Responding to the key messages in earlier volumes of the series—To Err Is
Human (2000), Crossing the Quality Chasm (2001), and Patient Safety
(2004)—this book sets forth an agenda for improving the safety of medication
use. It begins by providing an overview of the system for drug development,
regulation, distribution, and use. Preventing Medication Errors also
examines the peer-reviewed literature on the incidence and the cost of
medication errors and the effectiveness of error prevention strategies.
Presenting data that will foster the reduction of medication errors, the book
provides action agendas detailing the measures needed to improve the
safety of medication use in both the short- and long-term. Patients, primary
health care providers, health care organizations, purchasers of group health
care, legislators, and those affiliated with providing medications and medication-
related products and services will benefit from this guide to reducing
medication errors.Table of Contents


Front Matter
Summary
1 Introduction
Part I Understanding the Causes and Costs of Medication Errors
2 Overview of the Drug Development, Regulation, Distribution, and Use System
3 Medication Errors: Incidence and Cost
Part II Moving Toward a Patient-Centered, Integrated Medication-Use System
4 Action Agenda to Support the Consumer-Provider-Partnership
5 Action Agenda for Health Care Organizations
6 Action Agenda for the Pharmaceutical, Medical Device, and Health Information Technology Industries
7 Applied Research Agenda for Safe Medication Use
8 Action Agendas for Oversight, Regulation, and Payment
Appendix A Biographical Sketches of Committee Members
Appendix B Glossary of Terms and Acronyms
Appendix C Medication Errors: Incidence Rates
Appendix D Medication Errors: Prevention Strategies
Index