Medication errors made by health care professionals. Analysis of the Finnish Poison Information Centre data between...

The purpose of this study was to analyse the extent, type and time trends of medication errors made by health care professionals leading to a call to the Finnish Poison Information Centre (PIC).

The PIC database consisting of all calls (277,300) received between 1 June 2000 and 31 May 2007 was analysed in terms of medication errors.

Of 189,956 calls involving acute human poisonings, 1270 (0.7%) concerned medication errors (n = 1275), of which 779 (60.9%) involved administration of the wrong drug, 429 (33.6%) involved administration of the wrong dose and 70 (5.5%) involved erroneous route of administration. Incidents involving the elderly (80-89 years of age, n = 231; 18.2%) and children below 10 years (n = 136; 10.7%) were most likely to result in a call to the PIC about a medication error. In children, the most common error was wrong dose, while in adults, it was wrong drug. The number of medication errors was greatest during the summer months and in December.

Medication errors seem to be different in children and the elderly. They are also more likely prone to occur during holiday seasons.