One of the serious risks that come with hospitalization is tied to the medication you receive while there. If you get too much or too little, you get it at the wrong time, or—worst case scenario, you get either the wrong drug or no drug at all—it can have a dramatic impact on your health and your recovery. According to a recent study, nearly four million people every year are victims of medication errors in the nation’s hospitals. In response, many hospitals have implemented a system called Computer Physician Order Entry, which can help avoid dosage errors, as well as reactions caused by the harmful combination of drugs.
The good news—a recent study shows that New Jersey hospitals are ahead of the curve in using Computer Physician Order Entry—but just barely. 39 of the state’s 71 hospitals use a similar process for at least 75% of patient prescriptions and another 16 hospitals have made “substantial progress” toward achieving that goal.
The findings come from a recent study by The Leapfrog Group, a non-profit agency that reviews hospital performance. As part of its research, Leapfrog also subject hospitals to a simulated test to see how well they caught any medication errors. Leapfrog has not disclosed how individual hospitals performed on the mock test, but did find that more than one in three hospitals failed to provide any kind of warning in adult test cases—including 14% of potentially fatal prescription orders.
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At Aronberg, Kouser, Snyder & Lindemann, P. A., we have more than 35 years of experience helping people in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Contact us by e-mail or call our office at 856-429-1700. Your initial consultation is free.
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