9/10/02 Study finds over 40 daily drug errors at hospitals Hospital Medication Errors: 1 in 5 Doctors Not Sure Why Elders Halt Cholesterol Drugs Non-Prescription Drugs a Mixed Bag Study finds over 40 daily drug errors at hospitals CHICAGO (AP) --More than 40 potentially harmful drug errors daily were found on average in hospitals in a new study, yet another report on a worrisome problem regulators are working to remedy. The most common errors were giving hospitalized patients medication at the wrong time or not at all, researchers found in a study of 36 hospitals and nursing homes in Colorado and Georgia. Errors occurred in nearly one of five doses in a typical, 300-bed hospital, which translates to about two errors per patient daily. Seven percent of the errors were considered potentially harmful. The study, which did not evaluate death or injury rates, is published in Sept. 9th's Archives of Internal Medicine. It is based on data collected in 1999. The rates are similar to those in other reports on drug errors, but the new study highlights a specific point in the process of getting a drug to a patient: "administering errors" made by nurses or other hospital staffers after a doctor has properly prescribed a drug.... also Hospital Medication Errors: 1 in 5 Mon Sep 9, 5:07 PM ET http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=97&ncid=97&e=10&u =/hsn/ 20020909/hl_hsn/hospital_medication_errors__1_in_5 MONDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthScoutNews) -- Hospitals and skilled nursing facilities in two states fumbled almost one of every five doses of medicine given to patients, says a new study. ******* Doctors Not Sure Why Elders Halt Cholesterol Drugs Sept. 5 ã By Alicia Ault http://abcnews.go.com/wire/Living/reuters20020905_231.html NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Several recent studies have shown that senior citizens often stop taking cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins, and researchersdon't know exactly why. Statins are among the best-selling drugs in the world, largely because they work so well at reducing "bad" cholesterol levels. They are usually the first therapy given to people who can't lower cholesterol through diet and exercise, especially if they've had a heart attack, said Richard Pasternak, director of preventive cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, and a spokesman for the American College of Cardiology. And, several statins have been proven to reduce chances of a second heart attack and death. Even so, many elderly patients aren't sticking with the statins they are prescribed, according to two studies published in July in The Journal of the American Medical Association. In one study, Dr. Joshua S. Benner, a research fellow at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and several colleagues found that only 53% of patients 65 or older prescribed statins were still taking them 6 months later, and only 35% were taking them 5 years later.... **** Non-Prescription Drugs a Mixed Bag Thu Aug 29, 2:09 PM ET http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=534&ncid=534&e=9& u=/ap/ 20020829/ap_on_he_me/non_prescription_drugs_2 By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - Dropping the prescription requirement for a drug usually means the price comes down and people can treat themselves for common ailments without seeing the doctor. But it can also mean paying more for the drug and facing the danger of misdiagnosing themselves. The question of moving drugs from prescription to over-the-counter sales is "a complicated issue that needs to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis," said Dr. Sidney Wolfe of Public Citizen Health Research Group. It's a balancing act pitting potential health benefits against possible dangers. And it's a decision that involves millions of dollars changing hands among the sometimes conflicting interests of consumers, drug makers and insurance companies. Studies find many consumers want to treat themselves with nonprescription drugs when possible and an increasing number of drugs once available only with a doctor's approval now are jostling for shelf space in drug stores and supermarkets. When a drug is switched to over-the-counter sales, the price usually decreases. But whether that's a good thing for users can depend on whether they have insurance.... **** Drugged Out Mon Sep 9, 5:07 PM ET http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=97&ncid=751&e=10& u=/hsn/ 20020909/hl_hsn/drugged_out MONDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthScoutNews) -- You might be getting a government-approved "high." More than 20 percent of the drugs approved in the United States are approved at too high a dosage level, and those dosages have to be subsequently lowered, say researchers at Georgetown University's Center for Drug Development Science. Their findings appear in a recent issue of Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety. The dosage changes required after approval show there's a discrepancy between dosage data gathered from pre-marketing studies and data required for safe and effective clinical use, the study authors say. Reducing this kind of approved drug overdosing could reduce side effects and prescription drug costs, they add. The Georgetown researchers examined label changes made for all new drugs approved in the United States between 1980 and 1999. They found dosage changes were made in 21 percent of the drugs. Of those changes, 79 percent were the result of safety concerns. "This pattern may represent a systematic flaw in pre-marketing dosage evaluation," the authors write. Ideally, the dosage of a drug should remain constant through its lifetime of use. Another study by Dutch researchers found a similar rate of dosage changes in drugs approved in other countries, with the exception of antibiotics..... *****