Medical Errors: When the small print can kill.
Nurse-led startup, Janeil Enterprises, focuses on protecting hospital patients from deadly medication errors.
Oct 25, 2016, 06:15 ET
CLEVELAND, Oct. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- With an estimated 1.3 million Americans being injured annually by medication errors, a startup led by an Ohio nurse is the first to focus on solving the problem of critical information found on medication labels and packaging that is simply too small to read.
A 2014/2015 blind survey of health care professionals found that nearly 90% reported difficulty reading the small print found on drug labels and packaging and more than a third were aware of a near miss or actual medication error it has caused. "Something had to be done to help the hospital staff who handle medications protect their patients from this danger," said Janeen Jones, BSN, RN.
In response, the company she founded, Janeil Enterprises, LLC, has introduced the MagniMed™ line of lighted magnification systems designed to protect patients by helping staff read the small print. The company's products include a pocket-sized unit meant to be carried by the hospital staff and systems specially designed to be attached to the medication carts and dispensing cabinets they use daily.
In cooperation with a Cleveland Ohio level one trauma center, hospital staff in the pharmacy and on several nursing units evaluated the systems for over a year prior to their release. 94% of the staff using the systems reported that they believed they would help protect patients from potentially deadly medication errors.
Only recently has the potential for small print to harm patients begun to gain attention. A study released in late 2015 showed a significant reduction in medication label reading errors when magnification was used. In March, 2016 the Institute for Safe Medication Practice (ISMP)* issued a recommendation that light and magnification be available on all mobile medication carts and near automated dispensing units.
"We want to work with health care providers and with the companies building and selling medication carts and cabinets," said Jones. "Our systems will help staff read the fine print and patients everywhere will be safer."
About Janeil Enterprises, LLC
Founded in 2014, Janeil Enterprises designs low cost lighted magnifying solutions to help healthcare workers read the small print found on medication labels and packaging. www.magnimed.net
*The Institute for Safe Medication Practice (ISMP) name in no way constitutes an endorsement or recommendation of Janeil or its products.
SOURCE Janeil Enterprises, LLC
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