Association Between Inaccurate Weights and Hospital Medication Errors

According to a study posted at the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Authority, an important factor in some hospital medication errors involves using inaccurate weights. The study was based on approximately 480 event reports submitted to the Authority that involved medication mistakes in Pennsylvania hospitals as a result of breakdowns during the process of obtaining, documenting, and/or communicating patient weights. Apparently, the errors occurred because the doses of the particular medicines involved are calculated based on body weight. When the person mixing or compounding the medicine uses the wrong body weight, the patient will receive the wrong dose of medicine. The study concluded such errors in hospitals can be reduced by making sure all hospital wings have scales, the scales are properly calibrated, all patients are weighed, and all patients are weighed only in kilograms.

In retrospect the assocaiation between inaccurate weights and giving the wrong dose of medicine seems obvious. Sometimes however, it takes data analysis like this to bring what should be obvious to the surface. Of course, without the voluntary reporting of these medication errors, the analyisis would have never taken place. What is really shocking is that there no mandatory reporting requirement for medication errors in the United States.

Scott Distasio
Hospital Medication Error Lawyer

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