These comments are made for the purpose of discussion and should NOT be used as recommendations for or against therapies or other treatments. An individual patient is always advised to consult their own physician.
Chemotherapy and Medical Errors
Question: I am curious as to what other hospital pharmacy policies are
regarding medical errors and telephoned orders for chemotherapy.
We recently had a serious medical error and are considering
prohibiting telephoned chemotherapy orders.
Answer: A good method of checking is for both parties to repeat back the message and dosage. This is a technique used in the military in sensitive areas (nuclear reactors, etc.) with good results.
