U.S. Pharmacopeia creates Web site to combat drug name confusion

WASHINGTON A number of medical mistakes stem from drugs with similar-sounding names, according to a study by U.S. Pharmacopeia.

Last month, the organization created a page on its Web site, www.usp.org, called Drug Error Finder, to help people distinguish between drugs that look and sound alike. Often, drugs have generic or brand names—such as clonidine (for high blood pressure) and colchicine (for gout)—that sound similar enough to cause confusion among medical professionals.

According to a survey in Retail Clinician, however, nurse practitioners often think of drugs in terms of active ingredients rather than brand names.

Roughly a quarter of the annual 1.5 million medication errors that happen each year in the U.S. result from name confusion. Human error, ranging from bad handwriting to rushed pharmacists, is a common cause.