Key terms
Addiction
A chronic, relapsing brain disease characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.
Contaminated product error:
An error resulting from a medication being prepared or stored in a way that allows for the entry of foreign or hazardous substances.
Extra dose error
The administration or dispensing of more units of a drug than was ordered by the prescriber.
iPledge program:
A mandatory risk management program for the drug isotretinoin, designed to prevent fetal exposure and pregnancy.
MEDMARX:
An anonymous, national subscription-based database used by hospitals to report and track medication errors.
Adverse drug error
A medication error that reaches the patient and results in some level of harm (an adverse drug event).
Distraction error
A mistake caused by an environmental interruption (e.g., a phone ringing or a question from a colleague) during a critical task.
Fear error:
An error that occurs when a staff member does not report a mistake or ask for help due to fear of disciplinary action or workplace culture.
Medguide
FDA-approved paper handouts that must accompany certain high-risk medications to inform patients about serious side effects.
MedWatch
The FDA’s reporting system for healthcare professionals and consumers to report serious adverse events or product quality problems.
ADR (Adverse drug reaction)
An unwanted or harmful reaction experienced after the administration of a drug under normal conditions of use.
Documentation error
he failure to record or the inaccurate recording of medication administration or patient information in the medical record.
Human failure:
An error occurring as a result of human limitations, such as fatigue, memory lapse, or poor communication.
Medication education error
Failure to provide a patient or caregiver with the necessary instructions on how to take or store a medication properly.
Mislabeling error:
An error where the wrong drug, strength, or patient instructions are printed on the prescription label.
Alert fatigue
Desensitization of healthcare providers caused by an excessive number of computer-generated safety alerts, leading them to ignore or override important warnings.
Drug seeker
A person who visits various doctors or pharmacies to obtain controlled substances, often under false pretenses.
Incomplete information:
A situation where a clinical decision is made without all necessary data, such as a patient's full allergy profile or current lab results.
Medication error
Any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the drug is in the control of the professional or consumer.
Omission error:
The failure to administer an ordered dose to a patient before the next scheduled dose.
Capture error
An error where a routine or frequently performed task "captures" and replaces the intended, less familiar task.
Drug tolerance
A physiological state where the body becomes accustomed to a drug, requiring higher doses to achieve the same effect.
Incorrect assumption error
An error where a healthcare professional assumes a fact about a prescription (e.g., the intended route) without verifying it.
Medication noncompliance
When a patient does not follow the prescribed instructions for taking their medication, whether intentionally or unintentionally.
Patient Safety Organization
A group certified by the government to collect and analyze confidential data regarding patient safety events to improve care quality.