The numbers of people being treated for injuries arising out of medication errors has increased by more than 50% over the past few years.  According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, in 2004, 1.2 million people became ill or suffered injuries because of medication errors, and that number exploded to 1.9 million by 2008.

Medication errors are some of the most common types of medical errors.  In 2006, the Institute of Medicine issued a report which claimed that medication errors caused an estimated $3.5 billion in costs, including medical care expenses, lost productivity, lost wages and other health-care expenses.  However, the data by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality shows that far from declining, the numbers of such errors is actually increasing.  Besides, the number of people being injured by medication errors could be much higher than is mentioned in the report.  The report only took into consideration those medication errors that resulted in the patient having to be treated in a hospital emergency room. 

There is little analysis of the data.  For instance, Arizona medical malpractice lawyers don’t know how many of these errors were the result of doctors prescribing the wrong dosage, or pharmacists or nurses administering the wrong dose.  Other medication errors possibly involve patients who used the wrong dose or the wrong type of medication at home. 

However, the study does prove that the most common drug causing side effects or injuries among hospital patients were corticosteroids.  Besides, large numbers of Americans are also rushed to hospital emergency rooms every year for injuries from medication errors related to blood thinners, cancer medications, pain relievers, blood pressure drugs and cardiac medications.  People above 65 are much more likely to be rushed to the hospital for medication-related injuries.  One in five medication error emergency cases involved children or teenagers.