Medication errors related to metric/imperial conversions

Simple conversion errors, unfortunately common in the only country in the world that has not fully embraced the metric system, can be deadly for patients especially children. Recording patient weight in kilograms instead of pounds, or confusing grams and milligrams, can result in deadly overdoses.

ECRI suggests that healthcare organizations should stop using patient scales that record weight in pounds to eliminate the potential for error at the source. Clinical decision support tools that flag unexpected entries into the EHR could also help to reduce potential patient safety events.

http://healthitanalytics.com/news/ehr-workflow-patient-id-woes-top-2016-patient-safety-error-list
_______________________________________________
USMA mailing list
USMA@colostate.edu
https://lists.colostate.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/usma

Reply via email to