A pioneering body to deal with medication errors in Irish hospitals is planned. The proposed Institute for Safe Medication Practice, which it is hoped will be established by July, would be among the first in Europe.
"It's about making the system safer for patients," according to Mr Tim Delaney, head of pharmacy at the Adelaide and Meath Hospital in Tallaght, who has spearheaded the idea. In this State medical misadventure caused 15 deaths between 1998 and 1999.
From the 500 responses given by doctors, nurses and pharmacists to Mr Delaney's study on error-reporting at the Tallaght Hospital last year, it was clear that hundreds of potentially adverse or even fatal errors were not being reported. This was because staff believed they would be sacked or sued if they owned up.