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Content ArticleIn this video, Leah Coufal’s mother, Lenore Alexander, recounts the tragic story of her 12-year-old daughter’s preventable death in hospital in December 2002. Leah died from opioid-induced respiratory depression due to a lack of continuous postoperative monitoring which could have saved her life. Lenore now campaigns for the legal requirement to monitor patients on opioids after surgery.
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Content ArticleThis webinar by the World Health Organization (WHO) is part of a series hosted to mark World Patient Safety Day 2022, which focused on the theme of 'Medication without harm'. This webinar looks at medication safety in polypharmacy, introducing the WHO technical report on Medication safety in polypharmacy. It features perspectives on medication management from patients, carers and national healthcare leaders.
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Content Article
Falsified Medicine Directive explained
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Medication
As global trade and the Internet keep on growing it has become much easier for people to pass goods off as genuine. Counterfeiting in medicine products is becoming more prevalent and countries are now adopting systems to protect the legitimate supply of products to protect the industry and importantly the patients. Systems are already operating in America and Germany and the EU has formulated a directive for all European countries to adopt a system that protects all European citizens. The False Medicine Directive (FMD) registration database tracks all medicines from the manufacturer through to the patient in a unified way across the whole of Europe. Across the EU those who manufacture, sell or dispense medicines must comply with new track and trace regulations. Find out more from the FMD plus website. -
Content ArticleThis is an Adjournment Debate from the House of Commons on Wednesday 7 December 2022 on fatalities relating to foetal valproate spectrum disorder.
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Content ArticleThis blog by Dr Anna Bayes from Altera Digital Health looks at the benefits of closed-loop medication administration (CLMA) in preventing avoidable medication errors. CLMA provides an extra validation at the point of drug administration by using barcode technology to positively identify the patient and validate their prescribed medications against the physical medication product (for example, pills, infusions or creams) at the point of care. Anna also considers CLMA's role in advancing digital maturity.
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Content ArticleThe objectives of this study, published in JAMIA, were to: characterize persistent hazards and inefficiencies in inpatient medication administration explore cognitive attributes of medication administration tasks discuss strategies to reduce medication administration technology-related hazards.
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Content ArticleTo receive and participate in medical care, patients need high quality information about treatments, tests, and services—including information about the benefits of and risks from prescription drugs. Provision of information can support ethical principles of patient autonomy and informed consent, facilitate shared decision making, and help to ensure that treatment is sensitive to, and meets the needs and priorities of, individuals. Patients value high quality, written information to supplement and reinforce the verbal information given by clinicians. This is the case even for those who do not want to participate in shared decision making. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency with which relevant and accurate information about the benefits and related uncertainties of anticancer drugs are communicated to patients and clinicians in regulated information sources in Europe. The findings of this study highlight the need to improve the communication of the benefits and related uncertainties of anticancer drugs in regulated information sources in Europe to support evidence informed decision making by patients and their clinicians.
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Content ArticleA survey of over 4,000 people with long-term conditions on prescription charges has found the charge is a barrier to accessing medicine. The findings come following the UK government's announcement that the prescription charge will rise on 1 April 2023.
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Content ArticleThe Prescription Charges Coalition is a group of 50 organisations calling on the Government to scrap prescription charges for people with long-term conditions in England. This report by the Coalition outlines the results of a survey of over 4,000 people with long-term conditions about prescription charges. It highlights that the prescription charge is a barrier to patients with long-term conditions accessing medicine.
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Content ArticleThis guide from the Patient Safety Movement Foundation gives actions and resources for creating and sustaining safe practices for reducing medication errors. In it, you’ll find: Executive summary checklist What we know about medication errors Leadership plan Action plan Technology plan Measuring outcomes Conflicts of interest disclosure. Workgroup References.
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Content Article
PSSD International (Post-SSRI/SNRI Sexual Dysfunction)
Patient_Safety_Learning posted an article in Medication
PSSD International are an international alliance of people experiencing an iatrogenic (meaning caused by a medication or medical treatment) disorder known commonly as Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction or Post SSRI/SNRI Sexual Dysfunction. This potentially permanent disorder arises during or after the use of SSRI (selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor) and SNRI (Serotonin-norepinephrine re-uptake inhibitor) antidepressants. Though characterized by a reduction or removal of sexual functioning, common symptoms also include emotional blunting, cognitive dysfunction, genital numbness and sleep disruption. The causes of PSSD are poorly understood and there are no known reliable treatments. The disorder can arise from brief exposure to SSRIs or SNRIs and can persist for months, years or indefinitely. This page exists to bring together people suffering from this condition and advocate for recognition, research and greater transparency within psychiatry concerning the risks of antidepressants. -
Content ArticleEZDrugID is a campaign to improve the distinctiveness of medication packaging set up by a group of healthcare workers. Inadequate standards around medication packaging mean that medications with very different actions are sometimes packaged in a very similar way causing "look-alike drugs”. This can lead to errors and serious harm to patients if the wrong drug is mistakenly used. The EZDrugID website contains information about their campaigns to maximise distinctiveness of different medications as well as a "lookalikes" gallery. See also: the hub's error traps gallery The medication safety area of the hub
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Content ArticleDisease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are a group of medications commonly used in people with rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). They work by work suppressing the body's overactive immune and/or inflammatory systems and take effect over weeks or months. This information guide gives information for patients on conventional and biologic DMARDS, including how they work, the different kinds available and their side effects.
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Content ArticleIn 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published prescribing guidelines for opioids. Though intended to encourage best practices in opioid prescribing, these guidelines fueled providers’ fears of opioids and led to many clinicians abandoning patients who relied on opioids for pain relief. In this article, Antje M. Barreveld reflects on the harms he may have caused by underprescribing these drugs, not overprescribing them.
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Content ArticleThis case report in the journal Cureus examines the use of dalfampridine, a drug used to improve walking in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. Dalfampridine can have serious side effects including inducing seizures. Although the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends stopping the medication permanently after a single seizure episode, this recommendation is not widely known by health care professionals. The authors argue that there is a need to raise awareness of the FDA recommendation and the potential for dalfampridine to cause seizures amongst primary and secondary care doctors and patients.
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Content ArticleThis study in the British Journal of General Practice aimed to examine trends in prescribing for anxiety in UK primary care between 2003 and 2018. Anxiolytic drugs are a group of medications used to relieve anxiety. The authors analysed data from 2.5 million adults to determine prevalence, incidence rates and treatment duration for prescriptions of any anxiolytic, and also for each drug class. The authors found that, between 2003 and 2018: prevalence of any anxiolytic prescription increased, driven by increases in those starting treatment, rather than more long-term use. incident beta-blocker prescribing increased over the 16 years, whereas incident benzodiazepine prescriptions decreased. long-term prescribing of benzodiazepines declined, yet 44% of prescriptions in 2017 were longer than the recommended four weeks. incident prescriptions in each drug class have risen substantially in young adults in recent years. They conclude that increases in incident prescribing may reflect better detection of anxiety or increasing acceptability of medication. However, they also caution that prescribing approaches may cause unintended harm, as some prescribing is not based on robust evidence of effectiveness and may contradict guidelines. They highlight that there is limited evidence on the overall impact of taking antidepressants long term.
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Content ArticleMedication errors are any Patient Safety Incidents (PSI) where there has been an error in the process of prescribing, preparing, dispensing, administering and monitoring or providing advice on medicines. From 1 April 2015 until 31 March 2020 NHS Resolution received 1420 claims relating to medication errors. This leaflet from NHS Resolution analyses closed claims that have been settled with damages paid and concern an element of the medication process: prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administering and monitoring.
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Content ArticleThis blog provides an overview of a roundtable webinar organised by the European Biosafety Network (EBN), which focused on the need to prevent exposure to hazardous medicinal products (HMPs) and other substances. It was chaired by Gitta Vanpeborgh, Belgian Federal Deputy, and included attendees from across Europe.
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Content ArticleThis study in the British Journal of General Practice aimed to identify cardiovascular disease-related Prevention of Future Deaths reports (PFDs) involving anticoagulants, and to highlight issues raised and responses received. The authors highlight that nearly two-thirds (60%) of PFDs had not received responses from the organisations they were sent to, including NHS trusts, hospitals and general practices. They call for national organisations, healthcare professionals and prescribers to take actions that address concerns raised by coroners in PFDs, in order to improve the safe use of anticoagulants in treating cardiovascular disease.
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Content ArticleMedication errors are the most common adverse event in hospitals and have significant economic and health consequences. This white paper developed by the European Collaborative Action on Medication Errors and Traceability (ECAMET) Alliance collects the results of a pan-European survey on medication errors. It includes 25 reports comprising 13 country reports in English, eight translations in other languages, a private hospitals report, specialised oncology and ICU reports and one consolidated report. It makes several recommendations to reduce medication errors in hospitals and highlights the need to: establish a culture of safety. create strategies to improve communication. raise awareness and organise regular multi-disciplinary training meetings. systematically use accreditation/certification systems. introduce technological tools.
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Content ArticleMedication errors harm patients and cost the NHS money – but with the right approach they can be significantly reduced. An HSJ article with Patrick Wilkinson and Nick Rodger from BD.
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Content ArticleThe cornerstone of good general practice has long been recognised as lying in the quality of the relationship between doctor and patient. This focus on the interaction between GP and patient has been further reinforced in recent years by increasing attention on the patient’s experience of healthcare encounters. However, pleasing the patient is not always consistent with providing good-quality care. GPs are well aware that patients may demand an antibiotic when it is not judged clinically appropriate. The aim of this study from Ashworth et al. was to determine the relationship between antibiotic prescribing in general practice and reported patient satisfaction. The results found that patients were less satisfied in practices with frugal antibiotic prescribing. A cautious approach to antibiotic prescribing may require a trade-off in terms of patient satisfaction.
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Content ArticleAs the global population ages, more people are likely to suffer from multiple long term illnesses and therefore take multiple medications. This report by the World Health Organization highlights the importance of leadership in nurturing a culture that prioritises safe, high-quality prescribing, provides guidance on medication review, and emphasises the role of the patient in prescribing decisions. It also examines the role of multi-professional teams across the healthcare system, including amongst policy makers. The report includes tools and case studies which illustrate a systematic approach that can be followed across the health and care system to ensure that patients are integral to the decisions about their medications.
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Content Article
WHO medsafe app
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Medication
The World Health Organization has released a mobile application for patients and their families and caregivers as part of its Global Patient Safety Challenge: 'Medication Without Harm'. The app is designed to guide patients through the five key moments where action can reduce the risk of medication-related harm, and to facilitate patients to ask their healthcare professional important questions about their medications. The app is available from Google Play and the Apple App Store. -
Content Article
Belfast Healthy Cities: Pharmacy Schools Programme (2021)
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Medication
The Pharmacy Schools Programme is an innovative teaching resource developed by Belfast Healthy Cities. Using a health literacy approach, it is designed to be used in primary schools in Northern Ireland to help educate children about self-care, medication safety and community pharmacy services.
