A string of hospital mistakes

A technician mistakes an "A" for an "O" in a drug name. A doctor misplaces a decimal point in a prescription order. A nurse reaches for a vial in a cabinet as she's done hundreds of times before, only this time the light is dim and she fails to notice that the powder-blue label is more of a sky blue. The slip-ups are often simple, and always human, and all have happened in U.S. hospitals. Each simple mistake is supposed to be countered by a recommended backup, a second or third set of eyes--in other words, guidelines to reduce human error. A lot has to be overlooked in the cascade of errors that result in serious patient harm.