This is an actual, high-level document that I wrote for a website called Mederrors.com. I was the managing editor, working with a team of key people in the company as well as consulting artists, programmers and subject matter experts.
Introduction
Over a million patients are injured in hospitals each year, and many injuries are due to medication errors. (Incidence of Adverse Drug Events and Potential Adverse Drug Events, Bates et. al., JAMA, July 5, 1995. Vol 275 No.1) MedErrors.com serves those interested in understanding the issues involved with medication errors and adverse drug events.
Objective
MedErrors.com is an educational web site, with continuing education courses, articles, news, and reports about medication errors. The site provides educational resources and information about patient safety in the United States. Users visit Mederrors.com for information about the latest statistics, news, and technologies geared toward mitigating medication error.
Audience
A typical user might be any member of the multidisciplinary group Bridge Medical serves, such as risk managers, nurses, doctors, pharmacists, healthcare professionals, as well as reporters and our competition.
Delivery Platform
MedErrors.com is compatible with the major browsers.
Site Structure and Design
The Home Page explains what the site is all about, what it offers, and shows what is available by clicking on the navigation buttons. Hopefully it will encourage users to tell their stories.
Horizontal buttons branch to main links:
- Home (button appears BLUE when selected.)
- CE Series
- Library
- Features
- Resources
- Events
- Search
Links to Topics:
- CE Series: Training and Education for Clinicians
- Anatomy of An Error, the initial course offering.
- Library of books and articles (see attachment C for implementation plan)
- Bibliography, with summaries of available articles and help in finding the full-length copies (web links, source information). (We currently have abstracts for 100 articles, and offer reprints for about 80 articles. We’ll phase out offering free reprints this summer, but continue to offer abstracts for the original 100 articles and more.)
- Books on Medication Errors. Reviews of books, with links to Amazon.com or the IOM. (not yet available)
Feature Stories
A feature article designed to stimulate thought and discussion. We currently offer feature stories and a place to “Tell us what you think.” We don’t get a lot of response, here, probably because the interaction is not at all guided. This would be a good place to poll readers and respond with how others have voted. It would be best to add a new feature story once a quarter.
Resources
- Checklist for Hospitals on Preventing Medication Errors (user can print and review with other members of the team at their hospital)
- CQI Initiatives (future offering)
- Links to other sites, with summaries of the types of information available at these sites.
- Public campaigns for healthcare organizations
- Public Relations programs
- Systems Analyses offered by Bridge Medical of medication errors, error reporting, near misses
- Contests
- Surveys
Housekeeping Links
• Privacy Statement, Legal
• Site Search
i need to ask question for my homework” what is the most commom medication errors? which group of medical professional make the most medication errors? how can medication errors be prevented?
One of the most common errors is an improper dosage. You should not look toward individuals to blame, because medication errors are a symptom of systems that don’t work, or a lack of systems. mederrors.com and ISMP for more information