• ED Manag. 2014 Jun 1; 26 (6): Suppl 1-3.

AbstractA new analysis of data gleaned from the 2011 Medication Safety Self-Assessment for Hospitals shows that while hospitals have made great strides in adopting safe medication practices since the survey was first used in 2000, there is still considerable room for improvement, particularly in areas related to patient information, staff competency and education, and drug information. More than 1,300 hospitals voluntarily submitted data for latest survey, which was developed by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP). From these findings, the ISMP has established a list of national priorities for improvement efforts in the coming years. Medication errors are still the most common cause of patient harm in hospitalized patients, causing at least one death per day. The authors of the new report stress that ED administrators and providers should take the lead in adopting many of the recommended safe medication practices. Going forward, the ISMP recommends that hospitals adopt specific technology enhancements, make full use of clinical pharmacists, appoint chief medication safety officers to oversee improvement efforts, and move to strengthen training and competency on medication safety.

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