Intraoperative Medication Errors More Common Than Previously Reported, Study Finds

A review of more than 3,600 intraoperative medication administrations found that most medication errors and adverse drug events were preventable, and that at least one third of them were either significant or life-threatening. The review, published in the January 2016 Anesthesiology, was based on observations of 277 operations and identified 193 medication errors or adverse drug events, representing 5% of medication administrations. Of those events, 153 (79%) were judged to be preventable, including 51 significant errors and 3 potentially life-threatening errors.