June 16, 2006 -- FDA Targets Unclear Medical Abbreviations

The federal Food and Drug Administration announced on Wednesday that it’s launching a national professional education campaign to reduce the number of medication mix-ups caused by the use of unclear medical abbreviations, including such error-prone notations as U, which is often mistaken for a zero; IU, which is often mistaken for IV; missing decimal points; and names that look much alike, such as MSO4 and MgSO4. The Institute of Medicine estimates that 7,000 deaths a year are caused by medication errors that occur anywhere in the medication-use system, including hospitals, outpatient clinics, and home care. In Wednesday's announcement, the FDA recommends use of the list of abbreviations, symbols, and dose indicators developed by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), which is available online at http://www.ismp.org/PDF/ErrorProne.pdf.