Despite policies and procedures to prevent errors, more than 6 percent of patients at two urban hospitals received more than the recommended four-grams-per-day dosage of acetaminophen, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Researchers retrospectively examined three months of electronic medical record administration data from two Boston-area hospitals. A total of 14,411 patients were exposed to acetaminophen and 955 — about 6.6 percent — received more than the four-grams-per-day maximum recommended dose. In addition, about 22 percent of patients who were 65 years or older and 17.5 percent of patients with chronic liver diseases exceeded the recommended limit of three grams per day.
The researchers recommend clinical decision-support systems as a means for keeping acetaminophen use within set guidelines.
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Researchers retrospectively examined three months of electronic medical record administration data from two Boston-area hospitals. A total of 14,411 patients were exposed to acetaminophen and 955 — about 6.6 percent — received more than the four-grams-per-day maximum recommended dose. In addition, about 22 percent of patients who were 65 years or older and 17.5 percent of patients with chronic liver diseases exceeded the recommended limit of three grams per day.
The researchers recommend clinical decision-support systems as a means for keeping acetaminophen use within set guidelines.
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