Experts estimate medication problems to be one of the top six causes of death in the US.  While some of these problems are unavoidable, many are the result of human errors which could and should be prevented.  According to the US Institute of Medicine, these "medication errors" injure or kill more than 1.5 million Americans every year.  That's one injury or death for every 200 US citizens!

While much of the attention around this problem is focused on errors in the hospital setting, recent research suggests that medication errors which occur in our homes may be a much bigger problem.  In fact, one study showed that by the end of 2004, an average of 34 Americans were dying in their homes every day because of a preventable medication problem.

On March 7, 2007, a California Expert Panel on Medication Errors released a report containing 12 recommendations on how medication errors in the community setting could be addressed.  Because such little action has been taken over the last three years to implement the Panel's recommendations, the Pharmacy Foundation of California has decided to create a new Safe Medication Use Alliance.  The goals of the Alliance are two-fold: 1) Establish the prevention of medication errors in the outpatient setting as a priority for key healthcare stakeholders, and 2) Stimulate coordinated activity around this important public health issue.

The launch summit for the Safe Medication Use Alliance was held on June 25, 2010 and the report from the meeting was released on July 26.

The Pharmacy Foundation of California was founded in 1977 by the California Pharmacists Association.  As a 501(c)(3), non-profit, public benefit corporation, The Foundation seeks to improve and protect public health by using research and education to promote the safe and effective use of medications. More information about the Foundation is available here.

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