Medication Safety Practices in Healthcare Settings: An Analysis

Abstract

1. Introduction
Medication safety is defined as freedom from preventable medication errors and unnecessary harm associated with medication use. Medication errors and adverse drug events are common problems in health care organizations. Although significant improvements in medication safety have been reported, patients still face risks of adverse drug events that result in harm from preventable errors, and gaining control over these events through error reduction is a high priority for health care organizations. Enhancing medication safety practices beyond the typical error prevention strategies can result in significant advantages for patient quality and patient safety. In recent years, new methods have been developed and used to promote medication safety.
Methods
The 2006 National Medication Safety Standards for Hospitals served as a conceptual framework, and operational definitions were developed to guide data collection and analyses. An expert panel reviewed and revised the operational definitions. Data were collected through the Medication Module, which focused on medication safety practices. The final database from the sample included 2,869 units. A purposively selected panel of national experts assisted in adding a few items, final item selection, and end-product reviews.
Conclusion
Improving medication safety through enhanced medication safety practices would not only help in reducing the number of medication errors but also reduce the patient morbidity associated with these medication errors. Healthcare providers should train their staff periodically on medication safety practices, promote the use of systems with built-in clinical decision support, use reports from medication error reporting systems to identify areas of deficit in the system, and be vigilant in these areas. Guidelines for reducing medication errors, setting up medication safety committees throughout the facility, promoting education about medication safety practices, and facilitating the creation of a positive work culture are a few among the many measures that can be implemented to improve the outcome of medication therapy. Members of the medication safety committee should regularly visit the patient care areas to look for compliance with medication error reduction policies and strategies. The leadership team of the organization should be made proactive by the medication safety report, and its members should use the same report to find ways to improve patient safety. Healthcare providers should use every opportunity to educate their staff on medication safety issues.