Medication Safety Rules

Medication errors can be very dangerous. Taking medication that has not been prescribed to a patients specific condition and body specifics can be fatal.

Medication errors account for a large number of hospital errors. These are usually the result of carelessness that come from being under staffed and over extended. There are Five Rights of Medication Safety for nurses and healthcare professionals to observe in order to help prevent medication errors.

Many pharmacies only accept prescriptions from physicians that are printed from a computer, or if handwritten, the physicians prints in block letters. Some states have begun to incorporate this into legislation. Physicians are notorious for handwriting that is impossible to read. This too contributes to medication errors.

Patients can help to prevent their own medication errors by observing the Five Rights of Medication Safety as well.