http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Movies/11/21/quaid.newborns.ap/index.html
If g and mg are confused because of a dr's handwriting... perhaps the mg should be renamed ("$", or something) so this never happens again?
[Was this asked in the wrong section?]
2007-11-21 02:42:30 · 5 answers · asked by I'm an Atheist 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
That sounds like an inexperienced nurse or even pharmacy technician was involved.
Well-trained, experienced medical staff know the usual dosages of the drugs they commonly administer. This would be like giving someone a prescription for 500 grams of Keflex instead of the usual 500 milligrams. 500mg is a horse pill, already. 500g would be a ridiculous dose.
Add to that the fact that the heparin was to be administered to infants--that alone would indicate a very small dose in the milligram range, never in gram amounts.
Medicines come in standard dosages, which all doctors, nurses, and pharmacists are expected to be familiar with or to look up, if the prescribed dose seems odd..
Someone did not double-check. This sounds like an entirely preventable error--something that could have been caught with very basic oversight.
2007-11-21 02:58:22 · answer #1 · answered by Chantal G 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No this wasn't asked in the wrong section. We are accustomed to Atheists being confused. We love you guys anyway.
I believe I heard recently that misdiagnosed patients, as well as wrong prescription drugs requested by physicians and pharmacists errors for inability to read prescriptions and nurse overdosing as well as doctors operating on wrong leg or wrong organ are quite frequent occurrences. You can go into the hospital in good health and never come out alive.
2007-11-21 02:55:52 · answer #2 · answered by Jeancommunicates 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The medical profession is still WAY too primitive in regards to this type of thing. There is no excuse for using error prone manual methods of prescribing or dosing patients, when even soda machines are capable of secure transactions.
2007-11-21 02:53:06 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah it's in the wrong section. I'd hate to have to take 500$ worth of vitamin E every day.
2007-11-21 02:49:18 · answer #4 · answered by Joy 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It can't be guarenteed NOT to happen, just for the simple fact that humans AREN'T perfect.
All that can happen, is that we take steps to be sure that the possibility of something like this will be lessessend
2007-11-21 02:48:25 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋