USP Quality Review

No. 58, Issued 03/97

INSULIN OVERSIGHT

Errors with Insulin

The USP Medication Errors Reporting (MER) Program database collected more than 2,240 reports of actual and potential errors between October 1991 and December 1996. Forty-four of these incidents involve various insulin preparations.

Medication errors are associated with any insulin preparation, may involve any health care practitioner, and may be initiated by any patient. Types of errors include selecting the incorrect insulin preparation, prescribing or administering an inaccurate dose, using an improper injection technique, administering insulin to the wrong patient, and administering insulin at the wrong time.