Why Are Medication Safety Important

The concept of medication safety has become a highly significant concept in the field of health. According to the CDC, about 82% of the United States population takes at least one medication daily. Due to this rather high percentage, over 700,000 emergency room visits are related to adverse drug reactions. Drug interactions happen when different medications interrelate with each other, leading to either increase or reduced drug effects. These effects can be dangerous and in some scenarios, deadly. Over 3.5 billion dollars has been spent on medical cost related to adverse drug reactions which ultimately leads to further research on prevention for these types of reactions1. Research on drug safety has led to the approval of new medications and the action of withdrawing certain drugs from the market.
Medication safety prevents medication errors from occurring that could cause, in some cases, life threatening situations. A quote from the NCCMERP states, “a medication error is any preventable event that may
All drugs have side effects and has a chance to cause adverse reactions when administered with other drugs. It is imperative that within a pharmacy, every healthcare professional is aware of ways to promote the highest level of patient health and prevent medication errors from occurring. When dispensing a drug, pharmacists should confirm that the medication prescribed to patients is correct by thoroughly checking all prescriptions. Reducing distraction and keeping an organized workplace where drugs are properly stocked are also methods to lower the chance of a medication error from happening5. A patient’s health and care are within the hands of a pharmacist. Patients depend on pharmacists to get the health care treatments they need to live a healthy life, which is why it is important for pharmacists to be up to date on medication safety so that they avoid any drug errors that could