American journal of hospital pharmacy
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Questions related to medication errors were discussed by a panel of hospital department managers. When a serious medication error occurs, the manager has a responsibility to help the employee, the patient, and the patient's family cope with its effects, as well as a responsibility to prevent such errors from recurring. The difficulty of dealing with medication errors may be compounded when the legal system and the news media get involved. ⋯ Therefore, pharmacists need to cooperate with other health-care professionals in documenting medication error reports. A national reporting system is needed so that medication error information can be shared on a large scale without placing the people involved in legal jeopardy. Sharing information about medication errors is necessary to prevent future occurrences; mechanisms are needed to facilitate such sharing.