Chemotherapeutic errors uncommon, but severe

Chemotherapeutic errors uncommon, but severe

Fatal poisonings from chemotherapeutics get a lot of press, but they’re relatively uncommon, according to a recent benchmarking study conducted by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices in Warminster, PA, a clearinghouse for medication error reporting.

"Chemotherapeutic errors are not the biggest, but it’s a severity issue," says Stacy Wiegman, PharmD, MS, a fellow at the Institute. "Often, you can’t treat the effects once you overdose on the drug." According to the Institute’s study, the following six drugs or dosing situations are the top offenders when it comes to medication errors:

1. KCl: accounts for a full 3.25% of errors

2. Insulin

3. Drug allergies

4. Heparin

5. Opiates

6. Patient-controlled administration devices that have been incorrectly set