Results from research conducted through the Swiss Patient Safety Foundation suggests various medication safety assessment techniques have different strengths and weaknesses and more than one safety net should be used for medication safety detection, according to a study published in American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.
Researchers searched medical literature for comparative studies that compared at least two of four methodologies — incident report review, direct observation, chart review and trigger tool — to each another. Results from the study found direct observation identified the highest number of drug-related problems. Incident report review identified the fewest drug-related problems but showed a higher specificity compared to other methods and captured the most severe drug-related problems.
On the other hand, the trigger tool had a higher sensitivity than incident report review and was the least labor-intensive; however, incident report review was the most inexpensive methodology but only when integrated with other automated reporting systems and targeted follow-up.
Read the abstract about medication safety.
Read other coverage about medication safety:
- Study Lists Main Causes of Analgesic Medication Errors
- A Measure of Safety: Preventing Infection During Medication Administration
- Researchers Highlight Two Principles for Medication Safety
Researchers searched medical literature for comparative studies that compared at least two of four methodologies — incident report review, direct observation, chart review and trigger tool — to each another. Results from the study found direct observation identified the highest number of drug-related problems. Incident report review identified the fewest drug-related problems but showed a higher specificity compared to other methods and captured the most severe drug-related problems.
On the other hand, the trigger tool had a higher sensitivity than incident report review and was the least labor-intensive; however, incident report review was the most inexpensive methodology but only when integrated with other automated reporting systems and targeted follow-up.
Read the abstract about medication safety.
Read other coverage about medication safety:
- Study Lists Main Causes of Analgesic Medication Errors
- A Measure of Safety: Preventing Infection During Medication Administration
- Researchers Highlight Two Principles for Medication Safety