The International journal of risk & safety in medicine
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Observational Study
Medication errors in psychiatric patients boarded in the emergency department.
Patients boarded in the emergency department (ED) with psychiatric complaints may be at risk for medication errors. However, no studies exist to characterize the types of errors and risk factors for errors in these patients. ⋯ Psychiatric patients boarded in the ED commonly have medication errors that require intervention.
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Acute pain service (APS) ensures provision of effective and safe postoperative pain relief. The following cases describe a potentially fatal error in managing patients who receive epidural analgesia postoperatively. ⋯ A defined APS protocol should ensure patients' safety. If the protocol is strictly adhered to and with regular audits, preventable errors can be avoided. The acute pain service provider must be alert and responsive to warning signs of any protocol errors.