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Americans 'very concerned' about med errors
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11-1-99 Washington. Hospital patients fear medication mix-ups more than pain or the cost of treatment, according to a new survey of U.S. adults. The study, sponsored by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, randomly surveyed 1,008 adults about their concerns when checking themselves or a family member into a hospital. Researchers found that 61 percent were very concerned about being given the wrong medication, while 58 percent reported the same level of anxiety about being given medications that interact negatively. Two-thirds of all respondents said that when leaving a hospital, they were very concerned about using their medications safely. In comparison, 58 percent said they were very concerned about the cost of treatment, and 49 percent were very concerned about suffering from pain. "Most medication errors are traceable to problems with the medical use system," said Charles Myers, the society's vice president for professional and scientific affairs. "Nurses have a tremendous role to play as the health professionals at the end of the steps in the system." While some parts of the system set the worker up for error, "nurses can be the individuals who raise the flag to point out a system flaw," he said. Mary Alexander, RN, CEO of the Intravenous Nurses Society, agreed. Improving the system is part of the "accountability that comes with the nursing practice," she said. Researchers found significant differences between attitudes of men and women surveyed. Women were more likely than men to be very concerned about all the issues and were also more likely to say they currently or will in the future have some responsibility for making healthcare decisions for a parent or in-law. The researchers also found that patients prefer to talk to healthcare providers to obtain medication information rather than receiving information in writing.
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