Report details risks some Canadian patients may face

From Canada.com:
A new analysis by the Canadian Institute for Health Information on patient safety has revealed that while problems developing during treatments or procedures are comparatively rare, some do occur more frequently.

For example, in 2005, one in 10 adults with health problems reported receiving the wrong medication or wrong dose in the previous year, according to the CIHI report — which studied data from 2003 to 2006.

Adverse blood transfusion events are reported much less often — about one in 4,100 cases in 2003.

The report noted in a survey, conducted in 2006, eight per cent of primary care doctors reported that patients had received the wrong drug or dose in the last 12 months.

In 2005, 18 per cent of nurses surveyed reported patients in their care had occasionally or frequently received the wrong medication or dose in the previous year. ...more