FDA Acting Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, M.D., says in a statement, "Some abbreviations, symbols and dose designations are frequently misinterpreted and lead to mistakes that result in patient harm."
He adds, "This joint campaign will promote safe practices among those who communicate medical information to help avoid serious and even potentially fatal consequences of medication errors."
According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies, there are more than 7,000 deaths a year due to medication errors.
Mistakes can occur anywhere in the medication-use system, from prescribing to administering a drug in hospitals, outpatient clinics, nursing homes, home care, etc.
The FDA says the educational campaign focuses on eliminating the use of potentially confusing abbreviations by healthcare professionals, medical students, medical writers, the pharmaceutical industry and FDA staff.
The campaign will address the use of mistake-prone abbreviations in all forms of medical communication, including written medication orders, computer-generated labels, medication administration records, pharmacy or prescriber computer order entry screens and commercial medication labeling, packaging and advertising.
