UK: NURSING MEDICATION ERRORS in NHS HOSPITALS

From UK DAILY MAIL Saturday, Jun 29 2013 12PM 16°C 3PM 20°C 5-Day Forecast One in three diabetes patients 'are given the wrong medication while in hospital' A third of patients in England and Wales experienced a 'medication error' during a five week audit The audit found that 61 patients had developed life threatening ketoacidosis during a hospital stay Charity Diabetes UK says it is 'appalling' that anybody should develop the preventable condition By Daily Mail Reporter PUBLISHED: 00:49 GMT, 27 June 2013 | UPDATED: 07:52 GMT, 27 June 2013 Worrying: A third of patients in hospitals in England and Wales experienced a 'medication error' during the five-day National Diabetes Inpatient Audit (file picture) Worrying: A third of patients in hospitals in England and Wales experienced a 'medication error' during the five-day National Diabetes Inpatient Audit (file picture) One in every three diabetic patients are given the wrong medication while in hospital, a new report suggests. A third of patients in hospitals in England and Wales experienced a 'medication error' during the five-day National Diabetes Inpatient Audit. The audit, conducted last September, also found that 61 patients developed a life-threatening but preventable complication due to poor care. Charity Diabetes UK said it is 'appalling' that any patients should develop diabetic ketoacidosis during a hospital stay. The audit, which examined data from 13,400 patients, also found that a fifth of patients suffered from hypoglycaemia while in hospital. Bridget Turner, director of policy and care improvement at Diabetes UK, said: 'It is appalling that some people with diabetes are being so poorly looked after in hospitals that they are being put at risk of dying of an entirely preventable life-threatening condition. 'Even a single case of diabetic ketoacidosis developing in hospital is unacceptable because it suggests that insulin has been withheld from that person for some time. 'The fact that this is regularly happening raises serious questions about the ability of hospitals to provide even the most basic level of diabetes care. 'In every aspect of hospital diabetes care that this report shines a light on, the picture that emerges is profoundly disturbing. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2349313/One-diabetes-patients-given-wrong-medication-hospital.html#ixzz2XbmK7OG7 Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook