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Professional Safety Resources

Pharmacy professionals play a critical role in ensuring the safety of their patients. As one of the most accessible health care providers, pharmacists are on the front-lines improving the quality of patient care and reducing costs. Through prevention of adverse drug events, reconciliation of medications and collaboration with other providers to evaluate system-wide improvement measures, pharmacists continually show that their ever-expanding role is a key factor in safe medication use and effective patient therapy.

Pharmacists can improve their safety knowledge through educational programs, on-demand mobile tools, newsletter subscriptions and resources. They can also further impact patients by equipping them with medication information and tools to help ensure their own safety.

Professionals are encouraged to utilize the resources below to assist in ensuring the safety of their patients.

Click here to return to the Patient Safety Resource Center homepage.

Introduction to Addiction

Addiction is formally defined by the American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) as a disease characterized by the inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, craving for drugs or rewarding experiences, poor recognition of significant problems with one’s behaviors and relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. It is often chronic and involves periods of relapse and remission.

Though addiction can be due to drugs, alcohol, and other substances or behaviors, perhaps the most tragic aspect of addiction is the current opioid overdose epidemic in the United States, where overdose deaths involving opioids have increased 6-fold since 1999. Public health efforts have invested significant resources in widespread patient and provider education, in effort to curb this epidemic and promote the safe prescribing and utilization of opioid-based medications.

 What a Pharmacist Provides

Pharmacists are invaluable resources to both patients and providers in the area of addiction medicine. Most pharmacists who practice in the setting of addiction medicine have extensive clinical training in addiction pharmacotherapy, in the form of residency, fellowship, board certification, or other formal training. In addition, pharmacists in the outpatient setting serve as highly accessible providers that can counsel, assess, and refer patients and family members to addiction medicine specialists when appropriate. In the community, pharmacists have championed the dispensing and education of naloxone for emergency use in patients with risk factors for opioid overdose, through utilization of collaborative practice agreements (CPAs) for prescribing. Healthcare providers can also collaborate with pharmacists to determine therapeutic alternatives in situations where addiction pharmacotherapy is not covered by patients’ pharmacy benefit, or when other barriers such as drug intolerances or insurance restrictions arise.

Sources:

https://www.asam.org/resources/definition-of-addiction
  • BeSafeRx: Know Your Online Pharmacy
    Use this resource from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to teach your patients about the dangers of buying prescription medications from fake online pharmacies. In addition, access a toolkit that helps you identify patients who may be purchasing from fake online pharmacies and help your patients purchase prescription medicine safely online.
  • CredibleMeds
    Use this resource from AZCERT, Inc. to access tools you can use to help improve medication safety, including educational resources to improve therapeutic outcomes and reduce adverse events caused by drug interactions and medications that cause heart arrhythmias.
  • Know Your Dose
    Use this resource from the Acetaminophen Awareness Coalition to educate patients on acetaminophen use, including what your patients need to know, a pediatric dosing chart, an educational kit and other items available to order, frequently asked questions and more.
  • OTC Safety
    Use this resource from the Consumer Healthcare Products Association Educational Foundation to educate your patients on the appropriate and safe use of over-the-counter medicines and dietary supplements.
  • Epocrates
    Epocrates, an athenahealth company, offers a variety of apps, including a drug reference and news tool, an all-in-one clinical reference suite and apps optimizes for iPads. Visit www.Epocrates.com/mobile for a complete listing or search for “Epocrates” in the app store on your mobile device.
  • Medscape
    Medscape provides an app that contains fast drug reference tools, evidence-based disease and condition information, important medical news organized by specialty and continuing education courses. This app is available for Android, iPad, iPhone and Kindle Fire devices.Visit www.Medscape.com/public/mobileapp for complete details about the app for each type of device.
  • Micromedex
    Micromedex provides a variety of apps, including drug information, drug interactions and IV compatibility.
  • Pharmacist’s LetterPharmacist’s Letter offers one free monthly article and a subscription service to access all recommendations and a searchable archive of previous drug therapy write-ups. This app is available for Android, iPhone and iPod Touch devices.
  • Statewide Initiative to Standardize the Compounding of Oral Liquids in Pediatrics
    A survey conducted found that significant variation in concentrations being compounded by pharmacies existed in Michigan and this was leading to medication errors, particularly at the transitions of care. A collaborative effort by MPA and the University of Michigan, funded by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has been initiated across the state to move toward standardization of the concentrations of compounded oral liquids in pediatric patients. This important patient safety initiative has received widespread support and praise within the state and nationally. Visit www.MIpedscompounds.org to access the developed standards, a toolbox kit and additional information about the initiative. The concentrations endorsed on this site have been reviewed, approved and endorsed by health care providers and safety and health care organizations within the state of Michigan. We urge you to consistently use these concentrations as standards in order to promote safety for our patients.
  • Department of Veterans Affairs National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS) Root Cause Analysis
    Since 1999, NCPS has developed tools, training and software to facilitate patient safety and Root Cause Analysis (RCA) investigations. This guide functions as a cognitive aid to help teams in developing a chronological event flow diagram (an understanding of what occurred) along with a cause and effect diagram (why the event occurred).
  • The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005
    The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-41), signed into law on July 29, 2005, was enacted in response to growing concern about patient safety in the United States and the Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report, To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System. The goal of the Act is to improve patient safety by encouraging voluntary and confidential reporting of events that adversely affect patients.
    • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Organizations
      The Patient Safety and Quality Improvement Act of 2005 (Patient Safety Act) authorized the creation of Patient Safety Organizations (PSOs) to improve the quality and safety of U.S. health care delivery. The AHRQ administers the provisions of the Patient Safety Act and Patient Safety Rule dealing with PSO operations. This Web site includes a list of PSOs, administrative information and forms, resources, legislation, regulations and frequently asked questions.
  • Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Effective Healthcare Program
    Use this resource to access research summaries, continuing education modules and slide presentations, among other tools. When it comes to choosing the right medication or best health care treatment, reliable information can be hard to find. Most information is about a single drug, medical device or procedure. As a result, patients and their clinicians may make treatment decisions without fully considering the risks and benefits of available treatment options. The Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) conducts comparative effectiveness research to highlight the effectiveness, benefits, and risks of different treatment options for common conditions. Launched in September 2005, AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program has created free evidence-based resources for pharmacists and patients (in English and Spanish).
  • AHRQ Patient Safety Network
    Use this resources to access a collection of the latest patient safety, literature, news and more, including patient safety primers.
  • American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Medication Safety
    Use this resources to read ASHP practice statements, policies and guidelines on various topics, including medication errors, medication safety, and drug reaction monitoring and reporting.
  • Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) 2014-15 Targeted Medication Safety Best Practices for Hospitals
    Use this resource to help identify best practices on specific medication safety issues that continue to cause fatal and harmful in patients, despite awareness raised through ISMP publications.
  • ISMP Community Pharmacy Medication Safety Tools and Resources
    Use this resource to access a variety of tools and resources that benefit various practice settings (home care infusion organizations, community pharmacies and other ambulatory and outpatient settings) as well as suggestions for how to use them to assist in comprising a medication safety program.
  • ISMP Medication Safety Self-Assessment for Community/Ambulatory Pharmacy
    Use this resource to help you assess the safety of medication practices in your pharmacy, identify opportunities for improvement and compare your experience with the aggregate experiences of demographically similar organizations.
  • Resource List for Improving Patient Safety in Community Pharmacies
    Use this resources from AHRQ to access a wide variety of resources that assist with implementing changes to improve patient safety culture and patient safety.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

  • The FDA has a variety of reporting options:
    • Complete voluntary Form FDA 3500 online. FDA Form 3500 should be used by health care professionals and consumers for voluntary reporting of adverse events noted spontaneously in the course of clinical care. Events that occur during clinical trials under an Investigational New Drug application are mandatory reports and are submitted to FDA as specified in the investigational new drug/biologic regulations or investigational device exemptions. Do not submit vaccine reporting, veterinary medicine and Internet fraud via this form.
    • Call 1-800-332-1088 to report by telephone
    • Download the form or call 1-800-332-1088 to request a reporting form, then complete and return to the address on the pre-addressed form, or submit by fax to 1-800-332-0178 (send only page 1 plus any continuation pages; do not send instruction pages)
    • MedWatch: The FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program
      This FDA safety information and adverse event reporting program provides clinically important safety details and resources that allow people to report a serious issue with a medical product, medication or device; report unlawful sales of medical products online; and sign up for MedWatch alerts via e-mail, Twitter or RSS feeds.
  • Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Medication Errors Reporting Program (MERP) and Vaccine Errors Reporting Program (VERP)
    ISMP operates two national error-reporting programs: the National Medication Errors Reporting Program and the National Vaccine Errors Reporting Program. Both are confidential, voluntary programs that provide expert analysis of system-based causes of medication and vaccine errors. Both health care practitioners and consumers/patients can report errors.
  • Disposal of Unused Medicines: What You Should Know
    Use this resource from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to learn about medications that are recommended for disposal by flushing, medication take-back programs, and frequently asked questions regarding disposal.
  • Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Drug Disposal
    Use this resource to access information about DEA National Prescription Drug Take-Back Days, disposal of controlled substances, information from the Office of National Drug Control Policy and guidelines for health practitioners.
  • How to Dispose of Unused Medicines
    Use this Consumer Health Information sheet from the FDA to review guidelines for disposal, why it’s important to take precautions and environmental concerns associated with disposal.
  • American Geriatrics Society (AGS) Beers Criteria
    Download a printable pocket guide ofthe AGS Beers Criteria, which was developed to assist health care providers in improving medication safety in older adults. AGS updated the Beers Criteria for safe and effective prescribing in the elderly in 2023. This criteria aims to identify medications that pose potential risks outweighing potential benefits for people 65 and older. This information helps prevent harmful side effects that may be life-threatening and other adverse drug events.
  • Community-based Care Transitions Program (CCTP)Use resources on this Web site for more information about CCTP, a program created by the Affordable Care Act to improve transitions of beneficiaries from the inpatient hospital setting to other care settings, to improve quality of care, to reduce readmissions for high risk beneficiaries, and to document measurable savings to the Medicare program. The CCTP, launched in 2011, will run for five years. Participants will be awarded two-year agreements that may be extended annually through the duration of the program based on performance.
  • National Transitions of Care Coalition (NTOCC)Use these resources developed by the NTOCC to better understand how poor transitions impact care delivery and how you can help improve transitions in your facility.
Patient Safety Quick Links