A recent article published in the New York Times quoted the astounding statistic that as many as 7,000–10,000 deaths in the United States can be attributed on an annual basis to prescription errors. Countless hospital days, loss of productivity, and an atmosphere of distrust of modern medicine all result from such errors. Many causes can be found for these mistakes; drugs with completely diff…
Staff should never prescribe or administer any drug without first familiarising themselves with the way it works, the way it is handled by the body and the problems that can arise as a result of its use. Most of the essential facts relating to use in adults are summarised by the manufacturer in the ‘package insert’ or Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC). Many are also summarised in a r…