Patient group in study: children with cancer being cared for at home
Key sources of problems:
(1) failures in communication
(2) failure of family members to understand instructions
(3) failure in follow-up (with home visits by nurses, etc)
Errors in drug dosing and administration
(1) wrong dose, especially those requiring a change over time
(2) wrong frequency
(3) wrong technique of administration
(4) missed dose
Other problems:
(1) wrong prescription
(2) wrong information on label
(3) discrepancy between the physician’s instructions and information on the label
(4) failure to fill a prescription
(5) use of an expired medication
The authors found a weighted rate of error with injury at 3.6 per 100 patients.
