IOM Advisory: Preventing Medication Errors News Conference on July 20

A 1999 report on medical errors by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies identified medication errors as one of the most common types of these mishaps. In any given week, more than four out of five American adults take at least one medication and almost a third take five or more different prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, minerals, or herbal supplements. PREVENTING MEDICATION ERRORS, a new report from the Institute of Medicine, assesses the frequency and toll of drug-related mishaps. It reviews how these mistakes occur and recommends steps that health care organizations, government agencies, and pharmaceutical companies can take to reduce and prevent them. It also offers specific recommendations on how patients can protect themselves. The report will be released at a one-hour news conference.

DETAILS: Thursday, July 20, at 11 a.m. in the Lecture Room of the National Academies' building, 2100 C St., N.W., Washington, D.C. Those who cannot attend may listen to a live audio webcast of the briefing and submit questions using an e-mail form at .

PARTICIPATING FROM THE COMMITTEE THAT WROTE THE REPORT:

• J. Lyle Bootman (co-chair), dean, College of Pharmacy, and professor of pharmacy, medicine, and public health, University of Arizona, Tucson

• Wilson Pace, professor of family medicine and Green-Edelman Chair for Practice-based Research, University of Colorado, Aurora

• Albert W. Wu, professor of health policy, management, and internal medicine, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore

REPORTERS: OBTAIN ADVANCE COPIES OR REGISTER TO ATTEND by contacting the National Academies' Office of News and Public Information at tel. 202-334-2138 or e-mail news@nas.edu. Advance copies of the report will be available to reporters only beginning at 10 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, July 19. THE REPORT IS EMBARGOED AND NOT FOR PUBLIC RELEASE BEFORE 11 A.M. EDT, THURSDAY, JULY 20.

Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 21 Feb 2009
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