By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer
Thursday, July 20, 2006
More than 1.5 million Americans are injured every year by drug errors in hospitals, nursing homes, and doctor’s offices, a count that doesn’t even estimate patients’ own medication mix-ups, says a report that calls for major steps to increase patient safety. Topping that list: All prescriptions should be written electronically by 2010, the Institute of Medicine said. At least a quarter of all medication-related injuries are preventable, the institute concluded in the report it released Thursday.
