OPPT NEWSBREAK               Tuesday, 7 April 1998
          
                                 NEWS
          
          
          Medication Errors Triple Over Decade
          Washington Post Health
          7 April 98, 5. 
          Researchers led by David P. Phillips of the University of
          California, San Diego, report that fatal medication errors
          in the United States increased from 2,876 in 1983 to 7,391
          in 1993.  During that period, hospital stays decreased by 21
          percent and outpatient visits increased by 75 percent as a
          result of managed care.  The researchers concluded:  "`Our
          data suggest that medical personnel may need to compensate
          for changes in medical care by increased vigilance in the
          delivery and monitoring of medications, especially for
          outpatients.'"  Their study is published in the _Lancet_
          [no citation given].
             
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