Part of the pharmacist’s oath is to “assure optimal outcomes for all patients.” With this, the first and foremost priority is patient safety and ensuring that patients get the right medication at the right time. Yet, each year in the United States alone, 7000 people die due to a medication error.1 Beyond the risk to patients, there is also significant cost associated with medication errors: According to the World Health Organization, the global cost of medication errors is estimated to be $42 billion annually, or almost 1% of total health expenditures.2
Written by W. Perry Flowers, RPh, MS, vice president, Medical Affairs, Medication Management Solutions, BD