Pill pandemic in UK hospitals
Medical mishaps and negligence nightmares seem to be a huge part of UK life at the moment, as with medical negligence claims on the rise, one has to question when will it end?
The answer, unfortunately, doesn’t seem soon. A study revealed that drug errors by NHS staff are known to kill dozens of patients a year.
What is even more shocking is that the National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) exposed that the real total may be 10 times higher.
In 2007, the watchdog received reports from NHS staff of 86,085 mistakes in prescribing or administering medicines, compared with 36,335 errors in 2005, according to a new review.
Around 72,482 of the 2007 reports involved incidents that actually occurred during that year and included mistakes in hospitals, GP surgeries and mental health settings.
Due to such blunders, 37 patients died during 2007, although 96% of ‘medical incidents’ resulted in low or no harm. Moderate harm was received by 2,710.
In total, more than 200 patients every month require further treatment due to clinical errors. Worryingly, around 80 million prescriptions are handed out every year in Great Britain.
Shockingly, the numbers only represent 10% of such occurrences, as these were reported voluntarily by NHS staff. Thus, the true figure could be around 860,000.
Equipment not being used
Senior figures in the NHS are concerned that only a few hospitals have begun using electronic prescribing methods, which involve computer terminals, sometimes including portable devices carried by doctors and nurses that can question the drug or dose to be given to a patient.
The three most common problems involved an unclear or wrong dose or wrong frequency; the wrong medicine being given; and drugs being left out or delayed.
Examples given by the NPSA include an anti-coagulant drug given to someone with a similar name to that of the intended recipient, and a patient receiving a strong sedative instead of insulin.
Norman Lamb, the Liberal Democrat health spokesman, said: “Settling claims for damages costs the NHS nearly £1bn per year, which could be spent on patient care. In an organisation the size of the NHS there are always going to be some accidents, but we have to ensure that robust systems are in place that minimise risks and prioritise patient safety.”
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS trust, has implemented the system where electronic methods have been put into practice over the last ten years.
Its medical director, Dr David Rosser, stated: “It has reduced the more serious errors by about 60% by questioning doctors and nurses when they seek to prescribe and administer treatments which the computer recognises as potentially dangerous. I am disappointed that these technologies are not more widely available in the NHS because they protect patients.”
Gillian Cavell, consultant pharmacist at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, commented that more risk-assessments need to be put into place: “This report highlights the fact that serious medication errors can happen in any trust.
“Existing guidance from the NPSA is helpful in emphasising the fact that trusts need to remain aware of the risks associated with medicines. We all need to follow these recommendations and implement new systems if necessary to ensure that we remain compliant with the guidelines at all times.”
Updated on 14/09/2009