From mix-ups caused by similar sounding names to accidental overdoses, more than 1.5 million people in hospitals and nursing homes are injured each year by medication errors, according to a new report from the Institute of Medicine. Join guest host Joe Palca in this hour of Science Friday for a look at the problem, and what can be done to fix it.

Plus--the cancer-fighting drug Gleevec has helped many leukemia patients, but according to a new report it may also be harming their hearts. This hour we'll look at how so-called targeted cancer therapies are tested in patients, and whether doctors are doing enough to catch potential side effects. Call in with your questions and comments at 1-800-989-8255 (3-4 Eastern). Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests:
Donald Berwick, MD
President and CEO, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Health Care Policy
Harvard Medical School
Professor of Health Policy and Management
Harvard School of Public Health
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Scott Lassman
Assistant General Counsel
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
Washington, DC

David Bates
Member, Institute of Medicine Committee on Identifying and Preventing Medication Errors
Chief of the Division of General Medicine
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts.

***************

Thomas Force, MD
James C. Wilson Professor of Medicine
Jefferson Medical College
Thomas Jefferson University
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Brian Druker
Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
JELD-WEN Chair of Leukemia Research
Oregon Health and Science University
Portland, Oregon

Books/Articles Discussed:

(find books discussed on previous broadcasts)

Search by keywords:

This segment produced by Annette Heist