NRC+Picker Highlights Safe Medication Administration During National Patient Safety Week
03 Abril 2007 - 3:17PM
Business Wire
NRC+Picker recently observed National Patient Safety Week as an
opportunity to focus on the need for safe medication
administration. A pioneer in promoting patient-centered care,
NRC+Picker has embraced the patient safety movement as a crucial
step in improving the patient experience. The patient safety
movement is striving to develop a culture whereby each individual,
those receiving and those delivering care, are preoccupied with
safety. One of the most important areas of patient safety is the
ability of those who provide care to safely administer medication.
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) has outlined
core characteristics of a safe medication system that all health
care settings can apply to address the most important areas for
patient safety. Patients have the right to information about their
health and plan of care, but that doesn�t always happen.
Preliminary H-CAHPS� survey results from a study conducted by
NRC+Picker of 335 clients and over 300,000 patients show
approximately one in four (25%) patients state that they �Never�
received understandable information regarding side effects of newly
prescribed medications while hospitalized. In addition, in National
Research Corporation�s annual study of 200,000 households, 24% of
survey respondents in 2006 reported that hospital staff did not
always ask if they were allergic to any medication before providing
treatment of any kind. The patient�s lack of knowledge regarding
their medications and potential adverse effects can cause
complications ranging from patient inconvenience to incapacitation,
all of which are potentially preventable. In their own right,
patients can play a vital role in preventing medication errors when
they have been effectively educated about their medications. A
patient�s understanding of their medications does not always
guarantee they will follow that health advice, but hospitals must
take steps to provide them with the tools of knowledge to make
their own decisions. So what can hospitals do? The ISMP created
patient-friendly instructions which health care providers can
convey to patients. Some examples are that patients should always
ask questions, both about their current medication and any new
prescriptions. Repeating their understanding of the instructions
back to their doctor/nurse pharmacist to be sure there is no
confusion. They should take notes and bring a family member to help
translate directions, especially if they are not in your primary
language. Another vital characteristic of the ISMP�s safe
medication system is that health care practitioners are supported
in detecting and reporting errors. Interdisciplinary teams are
encouraged to regularly analyze errors to best support safe
practitioner performances. The implementation of simple validations
is also important. These double-checks or automated verification
processes, support a system of independent validation of the
medication system to detect and correct errors before they reach
patients. To promote safe medication administration, nursing and
pharmacy departments must partner to evaluate risk points in the
existing system. Teamwork among disciplines and clearly defined
protocols were ranked as the most important factors for success in
medication reconciliation. This cooperation combined with improved
patient knowledge and awareness can result in much safer medical
administration and a safer environment for patient-centered care.
About NRC+Picker This information was supplied from the NRC+Picker
Program for Patient-Centered Care, a comprehensive set of modern
resources specifically designed to help caregivers improve
patients� experiences. NRC+Picker is a division of National
Research Corporation (NASDAQ:NRCI), an industry leader, with more
than two decades of experience in healthcare performance
measurement and improvement. For more information visit:
http://nrcpicker.com
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