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WebM&M: Case Studies

WebM&M (Morbidity & Mortality Rounds on the Web) features expert analysis of medical errors reported anonymously by our readers. Spotlight Cases include interactive learning modules available for CME. Commentaries are written by patient safety experts and published monthly.

Have you encountered medical errors or patient safety issues? Submit your case below to help the medical community and to prevent similar errors in the future.

This Month's WebM&Ms

Update Date: September 27, 2023
Have you encountered medical errors or patient safety issues?
Have you encountered medical errors or patient safety issues? Submit your case below to help the medical community and to prevent similar errors in the future.

All WebM&M: Case Studies (6)

Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 Results
Cynthia Li, PharmD, and Katrina Marquez, PharmD| July 28, 2021

This commentary presents two cases highlighting common medication errors in retail pharmacy settings and discusses the importance of mandatory counseling for new medications, use of standardized error reporting processes, and the role of clinical decision support systems (CDSS) in medical decision-making and ensuring medication safety.

Michael J. Barrington, MBBS, PhD, and Yoshiaki Uda, MBBS| April 1, 2017
An older woman admitted to the medical-surgical ward with multiple right-sided rib fractures received a paravertebral block to control the pain. After the procedure, the anesthesiologist realized that the block had been placed on the wrong side. The patient required an additional paravertebral block on the correct side, which increased her risk of complications and exposed her to additional medication.
Ross Koppel, PhD| April 1, 2009
A patient hospitalized with Pneumocystis jiroveci pneumonia and advanced AIDS is given another patient's malignant biopsy results, leading his primary physician to mistakenly recommend hospice care.
Albert W. Wu, MD, MPH; Peter J. Pronovost, MD, PhD| January 1, 2004
A patient receiving end-of-life care, whose code status was DNR, encounters a potentially life-threatening medication error.
Marilynn M. Rosenthal, PhD| July 1, 2003
An anxious patient awaiting ambulatory surgery is mistakenly put on the wrong operating table.