The Joint Commission journal on quality improvement
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Jt Comm J Qual Improv · May 2001
Using an improvement model to reduce adverse drug events in VA facilities.
Adverse drug events cause significant morbidity and mortality in health care. Many adverse drug events are due to medication errors and are preventable. In 1999 and 2000 the Patient Safety Center of Inquiry collaborated with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) to implement a quality improvement (QI) project designed to reduce medication errors within the Veterans Administration system. ⋯ The results suggest that gains made in organized QI efforts can be maintained for 6 months without additional external support or coaching if team structure and leadership support remain intact. Facilitators of QI efforts should focus on teams that are having difficulty learning new techniques. Finally, this effort appeared to generate cost savings.