Medication errors statistics 2025

In this article:

• What are medication errors?
• How common are medication errors?
• Consequences of medication errors
• The cost of medication errors
• Causes of medication errors
• How to prevent medication errors
• FAQs about medication errors

In this article

• What are medication errors?
• How common are medication errors?
• Consequences of medication errors
• The cost of medication errors
• Causes of medication errors
• How to prevent medication errors
• FAQs about medication errors

According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a medication error is any preventable mistake that can lead to the inappropriate use of a medication or cause harm to a patient. Medication errors typically occur while the medication is still under the control of a healthcare provider, patient, or caregiver. Medication errors are a type of medical error that refers to a preventable mistake that occurs during the delivery of medical care and can result in patient harm. 

Medication errors can happen at any point in the medication use process, whether it’s during prescribing, dispensing, administering, or monitoring. Medication errors can involve prescribers, nurses, pharmacists, or even patients themselves. While not intentional, medication errors can have serious consequences, from mild side effects to life-threatening complications. 

In this article, we explore key statistics on medication errors, look at how and when they happen, and outline steps on how to prevent them. 

What are medication errors?

A medication error is a mistake at any point in the process of prescribing, dispensing, or taking medication that can lead to improper medication use and potentially cause harm. Types of medication errors include:

1. Prescribing errors: Prescribing the wrong medication or dose
2. Omission errors: Failing to prescribe, administer, or dispense a medication that the patient needs
3. Wrong time: Someone receiving or taking a medication too late or too early
4. Unauthorized medication: A patient receiving a drug not meant for them
5. Improper dose: Taking the wrong amount of the intended medication
6. Wrong dose prescription or preparation: Receiving the wrong dose or form of medication
7. Administration errors: For example, incorrect route of administration, administering the drug to the wrong patient, extra dose, or wrong rate
8. Monitoring errors: Failing to consider a patient’s liver and kidney function, failing to document allergies or potential for drug interactions
9. Compliance errors: Not following rules and standards established for dispensing and prescribing a medication

How common are medication errors?

• Globally, medication-related harm happens in about 1 in 20 (5%) patients. (World Health Organization (WHO), 2024)
• Approximately 1.3 million Americans experience medication-related harm each year. (WHO, 2024)
• Medication errors harm more than 1.5 million people a year. (Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP))
• More than 2 million adverse event and medication error reports are submitted to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) MedWatch program every year. (FDA, 2024)
• Approximately 300,000 medication errors are reported yearly to poison control centers in the United States. (Clinical Pediatrics, 2023)

Medication errors statistics by setting 

• More than half (53%) of medication errors occur when a medication error is prescribed or ordered by a healthcare professional. (WHO, 2024)
• According to a study published in 2023, up to 91% of medication errors were prescribing errors. (International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy (IJCP), 2023)
• In hospitals, 6.5 medication errors happen per 100 admissions. (StatPearls, 2024) 
• Medication errors were estimated to cause 1 in 131 deaths outside a hospital setting and 1 in 854 deaths within a hospital setting. (StatPearls, 2024)
• In hospitals and long-term care facilities, medication errors can happen 8%–25% of the time. (Patient Safety Network, 2021)
• In non-hospital settings, the rate of medication errors ranges from one to six errors per patient. (IJCP, 2023)
• Medication errors made at home happen up to a third of the time. (Patient Safety Network, 2021)
• Ninety percent of medication errors reported to poison control centers occur at home. (Clinical Pediatrics, 2023)

RELATED: The complete medication management guide for seniors

Patient medication errors statistics

• Medication errors made by patients or caregivers at home happen between 2% and 33% of the time. (Patient Safety Network, 2021)
• According to a 2017 survey by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF), and NORC at the University of Chicago, about 1 in 4 (28%) of respondents were not given sufficient information on how to take their prescribed medication. (IHI/NPSF/ NORC at the University of Chicago, 2017)
• A review of medication errors committed by caregivers found that giving the wrong dosage, not giving medication, and giving the wrong medication were the most common types of medication errors at home. (PLOS One, 2016)
• People who are 65 and older are admitted to the hospital almost twice as often as younger adults due to medication concerns. (StatPearls, 2024)
• One child every 8 minutes experiences a medication error at home. (Clinical Pediatrics, 2023).

Medication errors statistics by drug type

• Drugs given by injection into the vein (intravenously, IV) have one of the highest error rates, between 48–53% in hospitals and long-term care facilities. (Patient Safety Network, 2021)
• Antibiotics were associated with most medication-related harm, about 1 in 5 (20%) events. (WHO, 2024)
• Antipsychotic (19%), central nervous system (16%), and cardiovascular (15%) medications were also commonly involved in medication errors. (WHO, 2024)
• People who are prescribed five or more drugs are 30% more likely to experience a medication error. For people who are 75 years or older and taking five or more drugs, the risk is increased by 38%. (StatPearls, 2024)
• Opioids are involved in about 7% of medication errors. (WHO, 2024)
• Between about a quarter (26%) and half (49%) of people with severe mental illness have been found to misuse prescribed drugs and develop an addiction. (Actas Espanolas de Psiquatria, 2023).
• In 2021, almost 4 million people 12 and older reported misusing prescription stimulants such as Adderall (amphetamine-dextroamphetamine) in the past year. (National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), 2023)
• In 2021, almost 9 million people 12 and older reported misusing prescription pain medication in the past year. (NIDA, 2023)

RELATED: Preventing teen prescription misuse

Counterfeit medication statistics

Counterfeit medications are fake or falsified drugs. They can cause harm for several reasons—they may contain the wrong ingredients (or no active ingredients at all), the wrong dose, or harmful ingredients. Counterfeit medications can contribute to medication-related adverse events. Here are some statistics about counterfeit drugs you should know: 

• At least 1 in 10 drugs in low- and middle-income countries are counterfeit medications. (WHO, 2024) 
• Countries spend about $31 billion yearly on counterfeit drugs. (WHO, 2024)
• In the United States, less than 1% of medicines sold are counterfeit drugs. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2022)
• About 1 in 3 (32%) of fake drug seizures were made in North America. (Journal of Global Health, 2022)
• Between January and September 2021, almost 10 million counterfeit pills were seized by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
• More than half (55%) of overdose deaths between 2019–2021 involved counterfeit oxycodone. (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 2023)

Consequences of medication errors

Medication errors can have serious effects on a person’s health and quality of life. Taking the wrong medication, taking the right medication incorrectly, or missing doses altogether can lead to serious side effects, hospitalization, or even death.

This impact extends beyond patients. Healthcare professionals and caregivers involved in medication errors may experience shame, guilt, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts. Legal and regulatory consequences, such as restricted or revoked medical licences, can add to their emotional distress.

Here are some numbers about the consequences of medication errors you should know:

• Preventable, medication-related adverse events lead to 44,000–98,000 hospital deaths per year. (StatPearls, 2024)
• Almost 1 in 4 (23%) of preventable medication-related harm resulted in severe or potentially life-threatening consequences. (WHO, 2024)

The cost of medication errors

• The global cost of medication errors is an estimated $42 billion per year. (WHO, 2024)
• Medication-related adverse events cost $38–$50 billion in extra healthcare costs, disability, and lost productivity. (StatPearls, 2024)
• In Massachusetts alone, medical errors in general cost the state more than $2 billion in extra health insurance claims. (Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety, 2025)

Causes of medication errors

There are many causes of medication errors, including physical, psychological, and environmental causes. “Physical causes might be clerical, misreading, mistyping, or miscalculating a dosage,” says Matthew Young, MD, a physician and attorney who specializes in medical malpractice actions. “Psychological causes could be fatigue, cognitive lapse, or forgetting a patient’s allergies. Environmental causes could be grabbing the wrong medication for the wrong patient, getting the wrong med from the pharmacy, or the pharmacy dispensing the wrong medication or preparing the dosage incorrectly.”

According to Dr. Young, proper administration of medication depends on:

• Route of administration: How the drug is given (e.g., intravenous, intramuscular, oral, etc.).
  • Example: Antibiotics may not adequately treat an infection if given orally instead of through IV.
• Correct dosage: The amount and concentration of the medication.
  • Example: Miscalculating a weight-based drug dose can result in underdosing or overdosing.
• Duration of drug therapy: How long the medication should be taken.
  • Example: A drug that should be given for six months is only given for five months.
• Frequency of administration: How often the medication is taken (e.g., once a day, every 12 hours, etc.).
  • Example: Certain drugs need to be given less frequently but in higher doses to reach therapeutic levels. 
• Drug selection: Ensuring the right drug is chosen for the patient’s needs.
  • Example: The wrong diagnosis can lead to the wrong medication being prescribed. 
• Avoiding adverse effects and drug interactions: Checking for allergies, contraindications, and interactions with other medications.
  • Example: Someone who is allergic to penicillin may experience serious side effects if they take it.
• Discontinuation or modification: Knowing when to adjust the dose or stop the medication.
  • Example: Anticoagulants (blood thinners) or thyroid medications often require close monitoring and dose changes.

If an error occurs in any of these areas, a medication error may result. 

Even when medications are prescribed and dispensed correctly, medication errors can still occur. Other factors involved include: 

• Health literacy (i.e., a patient’s ability to understand medication instructions)
• Poor patient-provider communication
• Misinformation and disinformation from non-medical sources
• Use of expired products
• Incorrect preparation or mixing
• Incorrect rate of administration (e.g., giving IV drugs too quickly or too slowly)
• Incorrect dosage form (e.g., using immediate-release instead of extended-release tablets)
• Patient misuse (e.g., taking the wrong dose or at the wrong time)
• Distractions during prescribing or administration
• Prescription distortions (e.g., misreading or misinterpreting a prescription)
• Illegible handwriting

How to prevent medication errors

Medication errors are preventable, and a lot of work is being done behind the scenes to make sure they happen less often. Researchers, healthcare organizations, and regulators are constantly studying what causes these mistakes and building better systems to stop them before they reach patients.

One major way healthcare has improved medication safety is through technology. Digital tools like electronic prescriptions, automatic dose calculators, barcoding patients and drugs, and electronic health records help catch potential problems early. These systems can double-check drug interactions, confirm the right dosage, and track medications throughout a patient’s care.

Another key piece is reporting when errors or reactions happen. Whether it’s telling your healthcare provider, poison control, or reporting to the FDA, sharing what went wrong helps experts develop better prevention strategies. Organizations like the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the Joint Commission, and the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) all use this information to create safer healthcare systems.

Organizations and institutions that are working to prevent medication errors include: 

• The Joint Commission: This group accredits hospitals and healthcare providers in the United States. They set standards through their National Patient Safety Goals to improve communication and medication safety, like discouraging the use of confusing abbreviations.
• The NCC MERP: They offer recommendations that hospitals, pharmacies, and healthcare providers can use to lower the chances of medication errors and prevent serious drug-related problems.
• The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP): A nonprofit organization focused on medication safety, they investigate reported errors, push for safer packaging and labeling, and help healthcare facilities assess and improve their medication practices.
• The FDA: The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Office of Medication Error Prevention and Risk Management has two divisions to monitor and prevent medication errors: The Division of Medical Error Prevention and Analysis and the Division of Mitigation Assessment and Medication Error Surveillance.
• The WHO: Their Medication Without Harm is a global effort to make medication use safer by improving patient education, supporting healthcare providers, strengthening drug safety, and improving how medications are given.

Medication errors: Questions and answers

How many medication errors occur each year?

About 1.3 million Americans experience medication-related harm each year. More than 2 million adverse event and medication error reports are submitted to the FDA’s MedWatch reporting program every year.

What are the main causes of medication errors?

The main causes of medication errors are: 

• Clinicians prescribing medications improperly  
• Medications being prepared or dispensed improperly 
• Information about a medication being entered into a computer system improperly 
• Patients taking a medication improperly 

What are examples of medication errors?

Examples of medication errors include:

• The wrong medication being given to someone
• Not enough or too much of a medication being given to someone
• Improper route of administration 
• Improper use of a medication by the consumer
• Prescription medications being made or stored incorrectly  
• A healthcare provider or a pharmacist failing to administer a medication 
• Mixing up medications that look alike
• Drug names that sound very similar being switched up  
• Unclear labeling of a medication 

Which classes of medications are typically connected to medication errors?

Antibiotics, antipsychotics, central nervous system, and cardiovascular (heart) medications were most often associated with medication errors. 

What are the consequences of medication errors?

Medication errors can have serious consequences for everyone involved in the medication-use process. Patients may experience mild to life-threatening side effects from medication errors. Healthcare providers may face emotional distress, legal action, or restrictions on their ability to practice as a result of a medication error.

What is the most counterfeited drug?

Viagra is widely considered the most counterfeited drug, largely due to its high demand and market value. However, there’s a growing trend of counterfeit opioids like oxycodone becoming more common and dangerous. In the first nine months of 2021, the DEA stopped almost 10 million counterfeit pills from entering the United States.