Perioperative medication errors-are these avoidable?

Perioperative drug errors are under reported in our country but these can be a tool for assessment of quality of care to patients undergoing surgery. A medication error is defined as an error in drug administration irrespective of presence or absence of adverse consequences. 1 Every patient is entitled to the five rights of medication namely the right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right timing of drug and the right route. In perioperative settings, the time for dispensing to administration of drugs is merely few seconds or sometimes few minutes.