title: Case-control analysis of the financial cost of medication errors in hospitalized patients.
abstract: The cost of medication errors (MEs), and by extension their impact on the running of hospitals, is generally unknown to hospital managers. This study estimated the financial costs involved in the additional use of hospital resources as a result of MEs. For this we used a database covering 20,014 hospital admissions, with clinical and personal information about each patient, the costs related to his/her stay, and physicians' prescriptions. Analyses were carried out using cases and control techniques to calculate the additional cost of MEs. During the study period, 2001, the analysis indicated that the MEs analyzed caused an additional 303 days of hospital stay, with an overall annual cost of nearly 6,000 euros. Our study confirms that MEs are a costly reality. The presence of MEs doubled the cost per patient.
authors.affiliation: University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain. jpinilla@dmc.ulpgc.es
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pinilla
authors.forename: Carles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Murillo
authors.forename: Genís
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carrasco
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Humet
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004469:Economics, Hospital; D005260:Female; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007902:Length of Stay; D008297:Male; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000145:classification / Q000191:economics*; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital