Pharmacy drug error awareness program.

Medication errors are a major concern in hospital pharmacy practice. The prevention of medication errors involves mainly the departments of pharmacy and nursing. Though there are many safeguards used to prevent medication errors, they still occur, posing potential harm to patients. To decrease the chance for medication errors to occur pharmacists must take the responsibility to expand their knowledge and teach others about frequent errors. In an effort to decrease medication errors during 1990 at Fresno Community Hospital and Medical Center, Fresno, California, the pharmacy department evaluated the errors made during the calendar year 1989. This evaluation provided information concerning the most frequently occurring medication errors. This information was used to initiate a drug error awareness program (DEAP).