Staff training, medication errors

Multidisciplinary educational programs should be developed for health care personnel about medication error prevention. Because many errors happen when procedures are not followed, this is one area on which to focus through newsletters and in-service training. It also is important for pharmacy staff not just to focus on their own internal errors but also to look at other pharmacies errors and methods of prevention and to learn from them. Organizations such as the ISMP, USP, and many others provide ongoing features to facilitate these reviews in publications such as Hospital Pharmacy, Pharmacy Today, U.S. Pharmacist, and Pharmacy and Therapeutics or newsletters that report on current medication safety issues and offer recommendations for changes. 

Periodically train staffs in practices that will help avoid medication errors. 

There is continued focus on adverse drug events and medication errors. Processes must respond to actual or potential adverse drug events and medication errors and properly report them internally and externally (e.g., to the FDA, ISMP, or USP). Other standards address how adverse drug events and medication errors should be addressed to improve systems, support staff education and training, and minimize the risk of medication-related errors and adverse events. 

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