No one should die from medication errors
How do we achieve the vision that no one should die from medication errors? We review the measures in the field.
In the worst case scenario, medication errors can have serious consequences. There are many measures at many levels to reduce medication errors. The focus is on new technological solutions, getting the right expertise in the right place and involving users. How are these initiatives progressing? What challenges are they trying to solve, and what new challenges are arising?
Presentation by Anne Gerd Granås, Professor at the University of Oslo and the Norwegian Centre for E-health Research, and Unn Sollid Manskow, Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Centre for E-health Research.
We know that the wrong use of medicines causes unnecessary suffering and imposes large additional costs on society. Globally, the cost of medication errors has been estimated at USD 42 million annually. The overall goal of the World Health Organisation's 2017 report, ‘Medication Without Harm - WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge’, is to reduce serious harm caused by errors in the medication supply chain by 50% over five years. Five years have almost passed. Norway is investing heavily in technological solutions to support healthcare professionals, with the aim of reducing the chance of medication errors, be it in prescribing, preparation, administration, monitoring and use. How are these initiatives progressing? What will it take to ensure that no one dies as a result of medication errors?
Anne Gerd Granås is a professor at the Department of Pharmacy, University of Oslo and Professor II at the Norwegian Centre for E-health Research in Tromsø. Her research focuses on patient safety in drug treatment and drug management, as well as people's understanding of medicines.
Unn Sollid Manskow is a trained nurse and holds a PhD in health services research. At the Norwegian Centre for E-health Research, she is project manager for the follow-up research project ‘The patient's medication list and core journal for nursing homes and home care’, as well as affiliated with the ONWARDS project and Blå Kors Kompasset.
Recording
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