The World Health Organization (WHO) World Patient Safety Day takes place on 17 September every year. The theme for 2022 is Medication Safety. The Commission continues to support WHO in their efforts to increase safe use of medicines.
The theme for World Patient Safety Day 2022 is Medication Safety, building on the WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge - Medication without harm. Health services are encouraged to take action and prioritise medication safety across the WHO's three flagship areas:
Patients, with the support of their healthcare providers, are also encouraged to better understand their medicines to improve their safe and quality use of medicines.
The Commission was engaged by the Australian Government Department of Health to develop Australia’s response to the third WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge – Medication without harm. This response presented information on medication safety programs and initiatives in Australia in 2020, and recommended priority actions to achieve goals of the Challenge.
Initiatives around Australia
To mark World Patient Safety Day 2022, the Commission invited health services around Australia to showcase their initiatives in reducing medication-related harm, across one or more of the WHO flagship areas.
A range of exemplar projects, highlighting various quality improvement achievements in medication safety, were received.
The Commission organised a staff education event that addressed current initiatives across the three flagship areas - see 'Commission resources' under each flagship area below. The event also highlighted future areas of work to reduce medication-related harm, including greater awareness and education for consumers about effective medication management and preventative measures to reduce disease burden
The Commission invited prominent medication safety experts to share their key messages for World Patient Safety and how we all have a role to play to achieve medication without harm.
| Professor Andrew McLachlan Head of School and Dean of Pharmacy, University of Sydney |
Dr Megan Robertson Group Chief Research Officer, St Vincent's Health Australia |
Mr Steven Waller Senior Project Officer for Medication Without Harm, the Commission |
|---|---|---|
Polypharmacy is the concurrent use of multiple medicines, often defined as five or more medicines. This includes over-the-counter, prescription and traditional/complementary medicines used by a patient. Inappropriate polypharmacy is the prescribing of multiple medicines inappropriately, or where the intended benefit of the medicine is not realised.
Regular monitoring and review of medicines, along with individual patient factors, is required to ensure appropriate polypharmacy, and reduce inappropriate polypharmacy.
The Commission support clinicians and patients to better identify medicines with a number of resources to improve the safety and consistency of medicines naming, labelling and packaging.
Polypharmacy is the concurrent use of multiple medicines, often defined as five or more medicines. This includes over-the-counter, prescription and traditional/complementary medicines used by a patient. Inappropriate polypharmacy is the prescribing of multiple medicines inappropriately, or where the intended benefit of the medicine is not realised.
Regular monitoring and review of medicines, along with individual patient factors, is required to ensure appropriate polypharmacy, and reduce inappropriate polypharmacy.
The Commission support clinicians and patients to better identify medicines with a number of resources to improve the safety and consistency of medicines naming, labelling and packaging.
High-risk medicines if misused, or used in error can cause significant patient harm or death. The high-risk medicines of focus in Australia are insulin, opioid analgesics, anticoagulants and antipsychotics. The APINCHS classification can assist clinicians to identify the other groups of high-risk medicines of concern.
High-risk medicines warrant special mechanisms and risk-reduction strategies to identify and intercept medication errors before they result in harm to the patient.
Action 4.15 of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards outlines these strategies.
A new national standard with accompanying resources to support the appropriate use and review of opioid analgesics for the management of acute pain to optimise patient outcomes and reduce the potential for opioid-related harm in Australia. An opioids campaign communication kit has also been developed to support implementation of the standard.
National e-learning high-risk medicine courses to improve the safe use of high-risk medicines in hospitals. The current topics available include:
High-risk medicines if misused, or used in error can cause significant patient harm or death. The high-risk medicines of focus in Australia are insulin, opioid analgesics, anticoagulants and antipsychotics. The APINCHS classification can assist clinicians to identify the other groups of high-risk medicines of concern.
High-risk medicines warrant special mechanisms and risk-reduction strategies to identify and intercept medication errors before they result in harm to the patient.
Action 4.15 of the National Safety and Quality Health Service (NSQHS) Standards outlines these strategies.
A new national standard with accompanying resources to support the appropriate use and review of opioid analgesics for the management of acute pain to optimise patient outcomes and reduce the potential for opioid-related harm in Australia. An opioids campaign communication kit has also been developed to support implementation of the standard.
National e-learning high-risk medicine courses to improve the safe use of high-risk medicines in hospitals. The current topics available include:
Transitions of care occur when all or part of a patient’s healthcare is transferred between healthcare locations, settings or providers. Medication errors can arise at these transitions, with common discrepancies including: omission of medication (most common), wrong dose, drug-drug interaction, contraindication or duplication of therapy.
At each transition of care, medicines information should be available, current and communicated to both the patient and their healthcare providers.
Action 4.05 to 4.12 of the NSQHS Standards outlines strategies for medication review, reconciliation and ensuring continuity of care.
The Commission undertakes projects and programs to support the safe and quality use of medicines.
The Commission was recently engaged by the Australian Government Department of Health to review and update the following national Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) publications. These are anticipated to become available in the coming months.
The Commission has developed a number of resources to support electronic medication management (EMM) and e-health safety.
Transitions of care occur when all or part of a patient’s healthcare is transferred between healthcare locations, settings or providers. Medication errors can arise at these transitions, with common discrepancies including: omission of medication (most common), wrong dose, drug-drug interaction, contraindication or duplication of therapy.
At each transition of care, medicines information should be available, current and communicated to both the patient and their healthcare providers.
Action 4.05 to 4.12 of the NSQHS Standards outlines strategies for medication review, reconciliation and ensuring continuity of care.
The Commission undertakes projects and programs to support the safe and quality use of medicines.
The Commission was recently engaged by the Australian Government Department of Health to review and update the following national Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) publications. These are anticipated to become available in the coming months.
The Commission has developed a number of resources to support electronic medication management (EMM) and e-health safety.
