Q: What percent of medicine errors involved the wrong drug or dose?

A. 15%
B. 28%
C. 96%
D. 88%

A: D. According to a 1998 study conducted by the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences, 88 percent of medicine errors were caused by administration of the wrong medicine or the wrong amount.

(Source: http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/20tips.htm, Patient Fact Sheet: 20 Tips to Help Prevent Medical Errors)

We all know the saying: everyone makes mistakes. But such a forgiving philosophy doesn't apply in the health care arena, where mistakes can be a matter of life or death. That's why doctors, hospitals and other health care organizations are today devoting energy and resources to programs designed to reduce the occurrence of medical errors.

This week (March 5 through 11) marks National Patient Safety Awareness Week, an initiative of the National Patient Safety Foundation to build awareness about improving patient safety at the local level. UPS Healthy Connections – Informed Choices encourages UPSers and their dependents to take advantage of available resources and learn more about ways to protect themselves from unnecessary medical mistakes.

Why are patients at risk?

Many people are now familiar with frightening statistics first reported in a 1999 report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) titled "To Err is Human – Building a Safer Health System," which states that medical errors are the eighth-leading cause of death in the United States and the cause of death for as many as 44,000 to 98,000 people each year. The same report estimated that medical errors cost the United States $37.6 billion each year, and classifies these mistakes as diagnostic, treatment, preventative or other.

So the work of raising awareness of patient safety issues and designing programs that can help physicians limit errors in the clinical setting must continue.