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About the Medication Spotlight Survey The Medication Spotlight Survey was developed by a workgroup of dedicated pharmacists and nurses from the Maine Health Management Coalition’s member hospitals. In 2008, at the recommendation of the workgroup, the survey was expanded to include a section on Professional Pharmacy Services. 20011 marked the tenth year that Maine hospitals have been invited to participate in this survey to measure and report on systems that are being used to greatly reduce the incidence of preventable medical errors.
About the 5 Elements Related To Safe Use Of Medicines How prescriptions are double-checked
What systems are in place to help doctors, nurses, and pharmacists double-check medicines before they’re given to patients? A good system helps ensure that patients get the right medicines in the right doses. It also checks to see if medicines can be used together without side effects. Many hospitals use computer systems that alert providers to possible problems before they happen. How medicines are given
What kind of record keeping system is in place to help nurses know what medicines each patient should get and when they should get it? Some hospitals use computer systems that give nurses complete and up-to-the-minute information at the press of a button. This helps the nurse to prevent errors. How medicine is stored
How is medicine stored on nursing units? When medicines stored in a cabinet look alike and have similar names, it’s easy for a nurse to reach for the wrong one. Many hospitals now use medicine cabinets that are connected to a computer. When a nurse needs a medicine, the computer opens just the cabinet compartment with the right medicine. Often, the door to the compartment will open only after a pharmacist has double-checked the prescription. These systems help keep both the nurse and the pharmacist from making mistakes. Bedside Medication Verification (BMV)
Bedside Medication Verification allows caregivers to utilize bar code scanning technology prior to administering medications, to confirm patient identity and medication information against data readily available via the Medication Administration Record. Immediate access to a patient’s current results and medication administration information greatly reduces preventable medication errors. The use of bar code scanning increases accuracy and efficiency of caregivers completing medication administration records, providing physicians faster and easier access to critical information to manage patient care. Professional Pharmacy Services
This section focuses on systems that hospitals have in place for identifying and following patients with poor renal function as patients with poor renal function may require medication dosage adjustments and or alternative therapy. Future Medication Spotlight surveys may be expanded to include a look at systems in place for other important clinical patient-oriented services, in addition to renal function. Click here for a list of Medication Spotlight Committee members
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