The importance of medication safety has been recognized for many years, but only recently has it reemerged as a major public health issue based on numerous recent studies and high-profile safety events. Drug safety dates back to the 1950s, when in response to reports of chloramphenicol-associated aplastic anemia, the American Medical Association established an adverse drug reaction (ADR) reporting system and the Food and Drug Administration began requiring pharmaceutical manufacturers to report ADRs. This effort to detect heretofore unknown, serious adverse effects of medications in postmarket use relied on voluntary reporting, which also became common practice in most health care organizations.
In the 1960s, Jick and colleagues began to focus on the safety of drugs in everyday practice, using a concurrent study approach instead of voluntary reporting. The authors found that 30% of the medical inpatients in their study experienced at least 1 ADR during their . . .
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medication safety
medication safety
Helping You Improve Medication Safety
The valuable tools included in the Medication Safety Solutions Kit were developed by the Regional Medication Safety Program for Hospitals (RMSPH), an innovative program launched by the Health Care Improvement Foundation, an affiliate of the Delaware Valley Healthcare Council (DVHC), along with ECRI Institute and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP).
The kit contains tools that are ideally suited for patient safety officers, risk managers, educational coordinators, quality improvement coordinators, performance improvement coordinators, CIOs, COOs, CEOs, vice presidents of patient care services, medical directors, pharmacy directors, and more.
Medication Safety Tools
The Medication Safety Solutions Kit includes:
* Medication Safety Binder—An extensive binder designed to help hospitals achieve the program’s 16 action goals. View the Table of Contents.
* Computerized Prescriber Order-Entry Systems—A Practical Guide—A special guide to help facilities plan for and acquire CPOE systems. View the Table of Contents.
* Safe Practices Campaign Poster Series—Posters promoting specific medication safety practices.
Other Medication Safety Educational Tools
The Regional Medication Safety Program for Hospitals also produced four patient safety DVD’s that can help you educate your staff about these issues:
* DVD: Medical Leaders in Patient Safety
* DVD: Patients Play a Vital Role in Patient Safety
* DVD: Patient Safety Requires a Team Effort
* DVD: Building System Safeguards for the Safe Use of High-Alert Medications
Learn more about this medication safety kit.
medication safety
medication safety
With the release of Pathways for Medication Safety®, hospitals now have access to a coordinated, extensive set of tools designed to reduce medication errors. Pathways is designed to help hospitals take a process-driven, system-based approach to address this critical issue.
The tools were developed by the American Hospital Association, the Health Research and Educational Trust and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices with support from The Commonwealth Fund.
Learn more about the Pathways for Medication Safety.
medication safety
medication safety
