300 Million Radiological  Procedures Performed Each Year; 
Informed Consumers Can Help Reduce High Error Rate

Rockville, Md., Jan. 25, 2006—Many patients think that radiological services are noninvasive routine procedures with little to no medication risk. The truth is, radiological services (which are much more than just x-rays and MRIs) include complex procedures that may use high-risk drugs. A recent report from the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) showed that harmful medication errors occur seven times more often in radiological services than in the overall healthcare system. Fortunately, informed consumers can take steps to protect themselves.

Here are a few safety tips from USP to help consumers prevent medication errors from occurring during their trip to radiological services.

1. Keep an up-to-date list of medications in your wallet or purse at all times. Carrying a prepared list of all current prescription and over-the-counter medications and dietary supplements will help you avoid harmful drug interactions by ensuring that your healthcare providers know exactly which medications you take on a regular basis.

2. Always inform the radiological services staff, as well as your healthcare providers, of all your allergies. Be sure to tell the radiologist, radiology technician, nurse or other staff about all of your allergies. Even something seemingly unrelated like seasonal, food, or pet allergies can make a difference in how you will react to certain radiological drugs.

3. If you are transported to another area in the hospital, always ask where you are going and why. To avoid patient mix-ups and/or receiving the wrong procedure, make sure that you ask the healthcare provider to check your ID wristband, ask why you are going to the radiological services department, and what procedure you are going to receive. If the answers do not make sense to you, ask questions until you understand.

4. When you are transported to radiological services, make sure your chart goes with you. Your medical chart contains your critical health information, so make sure your chart goes with you. If you do not see it, ask where it is. When you get to radiological services, ask the radiologist, nurse, technician , or other staff if they have received and reviewed your chart.

5. Whenever possible, have a family member or close friend with you to serve as your advocate for quality care. As with any visit to the hospital or an outpatient center, try to have someone with you to speakup on your behalf, ask questions, and ensure that you get the best possible care.

6. For outpatients, make sure you fully understand the home preparation instructions for your scheduled procedure. If you do not understand, ask. For diagnostic testing, preparation instructions can be confusing. When you pick up the preparation medication at the pharmacy or radiology service center, be sure to read the instructions carefully and ask questions of your doctor if necessary.

The 6^th annual MEDMARX^® Data Report A Chartbook of 2000–2004 Findings from Intensive Care Units and Radiological Services analyzed 40,403 records collected from hospitals and healthcare institutions located across the country over a five-year period. USP found that of the reported medication errors  occurring in radiological services, 12 percent caused harm, a figure that is seven times higher than the percentage of harm in the overall MEDMARX data set.

MEDMARX, operated by USP, is an anonymous, Internet-accessible program used by hospitals and related institutions nationwide to report, track, and analyze medication errors. Since its inception in 1998, MEDMARX has received more than one million reports of medication errors from more than 850 healthcare facilities across the U.S.

Note to Reporters/Editors: For more information and/or a copy of the full MEDMARX report, please send an email to mediarelations@usp.org.