Patient Safety Primer Offers Strategies to Prevent Medication Errors

A growing evidence base supports specific strategies to prevent adverse drug events (ADEs), according to a new patient safety primer on Medication Errors, posted online on the AHRQ Patient Safety Network (PSNet). The primer outlines strategies providers can use at each stage of the medication use pathway—prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, and administration—to prevent ADEs. These strategies range from computerized provider order entry and clinical decision support, to minimizing nurse disruption and providing better patient education and medication labeling. The primer also identifies known risk factors for ADEs, including health literacy, patient characteristics, high alert medications and transitions in care. Click here to view the primer.