Best Practices for Improving Medication Safety
Introduction
This year, the World Health Organisation (WHO) have selected Medication Without Harm as the theme for World Patient Safety Day.
As unsafe medication practices and medication errors are a leading cause of avoidable harm in health care systems, this global initiative aims to raise awareness around medication safety and calls on stakeholders to prioritise and take early action in key areas that are associated with unsafe medication practices and medication errors.
In this podcast we are speak with Patricia Fernandes, Director of Quality and Safety at HCI and Killian Byrne, Quality and Safety Specialist at HCI. Patricia and Killian discuss some of the common medication errors that can occur in healthcare settings and offer some best practice guidance to support Medication Safety.
Some of the topics covered in the podcast include:
- Use of error-prone abbreviations, symbols, or dose designations
- Sound-alike / look-alike medications
- High-alert medications
- Ordering and prescribing of medication
- Preparing and dispensing medications safely
- The Drugs and Therapeutics Committee
- The 10 rights of medication administration
- The Medication Management System