Medication Errors Archives - Page 2 of 2

1/2 Tabs, 2 Tabs, 3 Tabs = Medication Errors

Date September 3, 2014 Author By Eric Christianson Category Medication Errors

Medication errors are always a challenging topic to address because it is no fun to make an error, and there is always the possibility of patient harm due to an error. Here’s a case example where the way an order is written can make things more difficult to understand. A 68 y/o nursing home resident […]

Med Rec 101

Date August 24, 2014 Author By Eric Christianson Category Medication Errors

Medication reconciliation (often called “med rec”) can be pretty boring, but med rec done right can be lifesaving. A 89 year old male was hospitalized with a GI bleed and significant anemia. This patient’s baseline hemoglobin was already in the 10-11 range prior to the GI bleed secondary to chronic kidney disease. Upon discharge from the hospital, anemia […]

Life Threatening Morphine Errors

Date July 16, 2014 Author By Eric Christianson Category Medication Errors, Pain

This is a topic that can’t wait anymore. Math. I said it, please don’t stop reading, this may help you or someone you care about prevent a devastating medication error. While most medications errors do not impact patient health, there is a medication error I see happen that can: Errors involving concentrations of liquid dosage […]

Medication Mistakes can be Stepping Stones to Better Care

Date April 23, 2014 Author By Eric Christianson Category Hyperlipidemia, Medication Errors, Personal Stories

Ever made a mistake? I have. I will never forget that feeling – it’s awful. I was reviewing a patient’s medication list and noted that the patient was struggling with the costs of their medications. I was a fairly recent new graduate at the time and the patient was taking Lipitor (brand name) at the […]

Medication error

Date March 2, 2014 Author By Eric Christianson Category Medication Errors, Thyroid

I had a case a while back where a patient had an elevated TSH at around 13. The patient was on a dose of 112 mcg 2 tablets daily. If you put yourself in the shoes of the provider, you can imagine seeing a large number of faxes/orders that you have to review in a […]