Show Threat is found in in drugs of similar names nam s Delthia Ricks Medication ups mix-ups have more than doubled since 2004 driven largely by a troubling proliferation of prescription drugs with confusingly similar names according to a new report Examining records submitted by hospitals to a database run by the United States researchers discovered glaring and sometimes deadly medication errors linked to sound-alike sound look-alike look medication names is a nonprofit agency that sets standards on prescription and nonprescription nonprescription nonprescription non- non prescription drugs working with the US U.S. Food and Drug Administration as aswell aswell aswell well as pharmaceutical companies In the new report its eighth assessment of medication errors researchers found that 14 percent of the mistakes resulted in harm including seven errors that may have caused or contributed to the deaths of patients The research implicated 14 1470 70 different drugs in errors associated with brand or generic names that looked or sounded d similar From this data compiled an even longer list of 3 pairs of names that look or sound alike This total is nearly double the 1750 pairs that identified in its 2004 analysis This is a hallmark report that really has galvanized the health-care health community said Darrell Abernethy chief science officer at He said the list has doubled since 2004 because of the increasing number of drugs that are approved researchers reviewed more than records he said Abernethy added that errors from sound-alike sound look-alike look drug names are area a problem that span the entire health care industry Currently about new error reports are generated each month and entered into the database so this is indeed a very robust database he said The report revealed that thata a child who was seen in inan inan inan an emergency room was prescribed a schizophrenia drug instead of the allergy medication The child was rushed back to the ER after fainting at which time the up mix-up was discovered the report said This report brings a anew anew anew new dimension to list of look-alike look or and/or sound-alike sound drug names by providing additional evidence about the many ways in which easily confused names can lead directly to medication errors said Diane Cousins vice president fo for health care quality and information A similar survey by the FDA revealed that confusing drug nomenclature can have fatal consequences In 2005 the agency reported an year 8 old girl died after receiving methadone a narcotic instead of methylphenidate an attention deficit medication In another case a year old man showed signs of potentially fatal complications after fter he was given a drug for treat to schizophrenia instead of another type of schizophrenia drug With hospitals participate anonymously and voluntarily Because the database does not include every hospital in the United States the number of actual medication errors is probably higher researchers say |