As the recent events in Haiti have shown us, it is important to remember that medication administration often takes place in unconventional locations under difficult situations. We have heard the stories of emergency response workers in Port-au-Prince devising creative dosage forms to manage the limited supply of medications against the great needs of the injured. While this hopefully does not reflect your day-to-day experience, medication administration challenges often appear when least expected, underscoring the need for pharmacy to develop creative solutions to medication management.

Recently in Wellesley, Massachusetts, a group of elementary school staff were mistakenly given insulin instead of the H1N1 vaccine by the school nurse. Though this type of medication administration error may be outside of hospital pharmacy's control, it is a reminder of the importance of designing medication safety systems to offset inherent human error.

Inside this month's issue, our authors share creative solutions to medication management challenges as well as other advice to ensure patient safety. You will find articles on the latest updates and changes to TJC's 2010 National Patient Safety Goals, steps to increase scanning compliance, one DoP's experience with a complete pharmacy remodel, and more. If there are additional topics you would like to see covered in PP&P, just send us a note!

All the best,

R. Mitchell Halvorsen

Digital Edition

PP&P is now available online in the exact layout and appearance of the print edition, and includes more interactive features, such as the ability to access websites and request information with the click of a mouse. To view this article in the digital edition, CLICK HERE.