ABSTRACT
As noted in the widely publicized Institute of Medicine report, medical errors are a major cause of mortality, morbidity, and excess health care costs. A substantial portion of these medical errors are medication errors that lead to preventable adverse drug events (ADE). This chapter reviews medication errors and associated ADEs involving antibacterial drugs, including errors related to inappropriate and suboptimal use. An accurate diagnosis is the first step in deciding whether an antibacterial drug is needed and selecting the particular drugs. After the diagnosis is made and the clinician determines that antibacterial treatment is warranted, the infectious etiology needs further consideration. After the correct drug is selected, dosing needs to be optimized using the same pharmacodynamic principles. Medication errors are errors that result in preventable ADEs. These errors are usually considered by the stage during which they occurred: prescription, transcription, dispensation, or administration.
