Problems associated with medication use have been consistently identified in the patient safety literature internationally. The purpose of this paper is to review components of the medication use process and offer suggestions for transforming it into a safer system. Prevention strategies are suggested for improving medication use at each stage of the system. Decision criteria are proposed that ...

A hospital's change from a traditional, multitiered incident-reporting system for medication errors to a standardized, nonpunitive medication-use variance process is described. After weaknesses were identified in the hospital's system for reporting and evaluating medication errors, a multidisciplinary task force was formed to redesign the hospital's medication error-reporting system. Its guidin...

Aim The aim of this study is to assess the nature, reasons, and consequences of self-medication practice among the general population of Ras Al-Khaimah, UAE. Materials and Methods This was a prospective, cross-sectional, survey-based study. Data with respect to knowledge, awareness, and practices regarding self-medication were collected through an interviewer-assisted questionnaire answered b...

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Administration of medications takes up to 40% of nurses’ time in providing patient care (Armitage & Knapman, 2003). Multiple stages to the medication process include order entry, transcription and verification, dispensing, medication administration, and consumption by the patient. Inherent in all these stages are the five rights: the right patient, right medication, right dose, right route, and...