New York paramedics often have to work in less than perfect conditions, make snap decisions and act quickly, so medication mistakes can occur. Medication errors are defined by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research as preventable events that lead to patient harm or inappropriate use of medications. These errors can arise from a variety of causes, including product labels, distribution and lack of education.

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists is launching an effort to standardize concentrations of IV and oral liquid medications in order to prevent patients in New York and around the country from being harmed by errors in the administration of these medications. The Health and Medicine Division of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine estimates that more than 1.5 million people in the United States are negatively impacted by sucherrors every year.