Improving Medication Safety Through the Use of Metrics. (February 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Beckett, Robert D.; Yazdi, Marina; Hanson, Laura J.; Thompson, Ross W.
• Is Part Of: Journal of pharmacy practice. Volume 27:Number 1(2014:Feb.)
• Page Start: 61
• Page End: 64
• Publication Date: 2014-02
• Subjects: medication safety -- medication errors -- adverse drug events -- metrics; Pharmacy -- Periodicals; Pharmacology -- Periodicals; 615.1
• DOI: 10.1177/0897190013504959
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0897-1900

Abstract

Purpose: Describe medication safety metrics used at University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) institutions and recommend a meaningful way to report and communicate medication safety information across an organization. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an electronically distributed, open-ended survey instrument. Results: Twenty percent of the UHC institutions responded to our survey. Seventy-seven percent of those institutions responding to our survey reported their organization has defined metrics to measure medication safety; an additional 21% of the institutions were still in the process of defining metrics. Of metrics that were reported, 33% were true medication safety metrics. Results are distributed to a wide variety of institutional venues. Conclusion: Institutions should take several actions related to medication safety including defining local metrics; building metrics addressing preventable adverse drug events, medication errors, and technology; and reporting results to a variety of venues in order to design specific interventions to improve local medication use.