Here are five things to know:
1. Researchers analyzed mistakes including drug labeling errors, incorrect dosing, drug documentation mistakes and/or failing to properly treat changes in a patient’s vital signs during surgery.
2. A medication error or adverse drug event was found in 124 of 277 surgeries.
3. Of the 3,675 medication administrations, 193 medication errors and adverse drug events occured. Of these errors, approximately 80 percent were preventable.
4. The study was conducted as a part of Massachusetts General Hospital’s in-house efforts to quantify and address drug-error risk during surgery.
5. Researchers stated rigorous safety checks typically in place in many hospital settings around the country are often loosed or bypassed in the surgical environment.
