But wait, there isn't an SI unit of biological activity, is there?
--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> I didn't know doctors were still prescribing in IUs (see article below).
>
> An excellent reason (as Paul has pointed out in the past) for standardizing
> on SI.
>
> Ezra
>
> =============
>
> Medical abbreviations 'pose risk'
> Doctors are being warned that using abbreviations in medical notes is putting
> patients' lives at
> risk.
>
> The UK's Medical Defence Union said difficulties often arose because
> abbreviations can have more
> than one meaning or might be misread.
>
> Some patients have had the wrong limb removed or operated on and others have
> been given deadly
> drug doses, it said.
>
> A recent US study of 30,000 medication errors, some fatal, showed 5% were
> linked to
> abbreviations in notes.
>
> Common errors included abbreviating drug names and dosages, the Joint
> Commission found.
>
> An example involved a 62-year-old patient on haemodialysis who was treated
> for a viral infection
> with the drug acyclovir.
>
> The order for acyclovir was written as "acyclovir (unknown dose) with HD",
> meaning
> haemodialysis. Acyclovir should be adjusted for renal impairment and given
> only once daily.
>
> However, the order was misread as TID (three times daily) and the patient
> died as a result.
>
> Fatal errors
>
> A UK audit by the paediatric department at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital,
> published in the
> Archives of Disease in Childhood in November, found instances where
> abbreviations used had
> caused confusion because they had multiple interpretations.
>
> For example, "TOF" could be taken to mean "tetralogy of fallot" or
> "tracheo-oesophageal fistula"
> - two completely different conditions.
>
> When presented with a selection of abbreviations, the study authors found
> paediatric doctors
> agreed on the interpretation of 56-94%, while other healthcare professionals
> recognised only
> 31-63%.
>
> The authors also found that the use of abbreviations was inconsistent - 15%
> of the abbreviations
> used in medical notes appeared in the hospital's intranet dictionary while
> 17% appeared in a
> medical dictionary used by paediatric secretaries.
>
> The MDU, which defends members' reputations when their clinical performance
> is called into
> question, advises doctors to use only the abbreviations or acronyms that are
> unambiguous and
> approved in their practice or hospital.
>
> Dr Sally Old, MDU medico-legal adviser, said: "Abbreviations can cause
> confusion and risk
> patient safety.
>
> "In one instance a diabetic patient was given a dose of 61 units of insulin
> because the notes
> say six international units - 6IU - were misinterpreted.
>
> "Thankfully, the error was spotted and the patient was treated."
>
> She said clear, concise communication was essential, particularly when care
> was provided by
> multi-disciplinary teams.
>
> Kevin Cleary, of the National Patient Safety Agency, said: "Abbreviations in
> clinical notes,
> prescriptions and treatment charts should be kept to an absolute minimum.
> They cause confusion
> and present a risk to patients.
>
> "The NPSA is aware of at least one patient death in the last 12 months where
> abbreviations were
> a contributory factor.
>
> "In response to this incident, involving chemotherapy, we will be issuing
> guidance later this
> month on clear communication of treatment protocols."
>
>
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