U.S. Pharmacopeia 8th Annual MEDMARX(R) Report Indicates Look-Alike/Sound-Alike Drugs Lead to Thousands of Medication Errors ...(s the entire health care system said Da...),Health

Consumers picking up prescriptions should check the indication for use appearing on the drug's label or ask their pharmacist for this information. If the indication given by the pharmacy is different from what the prescriber said the medication is for, that is a red flag for the consumer to ask questions. Consumers should also exercise their right to receive counseling from the pharmacist every time they begin a new medication to ensure they know the name of the drug and its pronunciation, what it is and how to take it.

"This report brings a new dimension to USP's list of look-alike and/or sound-alike drug names by providing additional evidence about the many ways in which easily confused names can lead directly to medication errors," said Diane Cousins, R. Ph., USP's vice president of healthcare quality and information and co-author of the MEDMARX report.

"The nation will now be able to access the most comprehensive list of similar names that is based on actual reports of errors, and, for the first time, a list that further delineates the error's effect on patient outcomes."

The MEDMARX Data Report A Report on the Relationship of Drug Names and Medication Errors in Response to the Institute of Medicine's Call for Action analyzed records from 2003 to 2006 involving medication errors due to drug names that look or sound similar. The report includes the largest known list of look-alike/sound-alike drugs and is the only list based on reported medication errors.

USP's MEDMARX is an anonymous, Internet-accessible program used by hospitals and related institutions nationwide to report, track, and analyze medication errors. Since i
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