INSTITUTE FOR SAFE MEDICATION PRACTICES

TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS AND EDUCATION:EDUCATION: ISMP CONSIDERS EDUCATION TO BE A CORE COMPONENT OF ITS MISSION, AND OFFERS A VARIETY OF VALUABLE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES FOR HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS AND CONSUMERS, INCLUDING FREQUENT WEBINARS, CONTINUING EDUCATION SESSIONS AT SOME OF THE NATION'S LARGEST PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS, WORKSHOPS, LECTURES, VIDEOS, AND PATIENT BROCHURES. A WIDE RANGE OF FREE TOOLS FOR HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS, SUCH AS LISTS OF HIGH-ALERT DRUGS AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ABBREVIATIONS, ARE AVAILABLE ON WWW.ISMP.ORG. IN ADDITION, ISMP HOSTS MEDICATION SAFETY FELLOWSHIPS.CONSULTS: EACH YEAR, ISMP PROVIDES CONFIDENTIAL CONSULTING SERVICES TO HEALTHCARE FACILITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY IN A WIDE RANGE OF PRACTICE SETTINGS, INCLUDING HOSPITALS AND COMMUNITY PHARMACIES, TO HELP THEM IMPROVE MEDICATION SAFETY. ONSITE HOSPITAL AND HEALTH SYSTEM RISK ASSESSMENTS BY A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM OF PRACTITIONERS RESULT IN SAFE PRACTICE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MEDICATION ERROR PREVENTION AND FOLLOW-UP IMPLEMENTATION AND SUPPORT SERVICES. IN ADDITION, ISMP CONSULTANTS PROVIDE SIMILAR ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT TO OUTPATIENT PHARMACIES NATIONWIDE. UNLIKE OTHER CONSULTANTS, ISMP CONSTANTLY UPDATES ITS EVIDENCED-BASED PREVENTION STRATEGIES WITH REAL-TIME INFORMATION GAINED FROM ONGOING ANALYSIS OF THOUSANDS OF REPORTS SUBMITTED TO ITS NATIONAL VOLUNTARY ERROR REPORTING PROGRAMS.ERROR REPORTING AND ANALYSIS: THE VOLUNTARY ISMP NATIONAL MEDICATION ERRORS REPORTING PROGRAM (ISMP MERP) WAS STARTED IN ORDER TO LEARN ABOUT ERRORS HAPPENING ACROSS THE NATION, UNDERSTAND CAUSES, AND SHARE "LESSONS LEARNED" WITH THE HEALTHCARE COMMUNITY. EACH YEAR, THE PROGRAM RECEIVES A FEW THOUSAND REPORTS FROM HEALTHCARE PRACTITIONERS, AND THAT INFORMATION IS USED TO BRING ABOUT LARGE-SCALE CHANGES IN MEDICATION SAFETY. NATIONAL ALERT NETWORK (NAN) ALERTS BASED ON INFORMATION SUBMITTED TO THE PROGRAM WARN PROVIDERS OF RISK FOR ERRORS THAT HAVE CAUSED SERIOUS HARM OR DEATH. ISMP ALSO ESTABLISHED THE FIRST CONSUMER ERROR REPORTING SYSTEM THROUGH ITS CONSUMER WEBSITE (WWW.CONSUMERMEDSAFETY.ORG) AS WELL AS A NATIONAL VACCINE ERRORS REPORTING PROGRAM (ISMP VERP). RESEARCH AND BEST PRACTICES DEVELOPMENT: IN ADDITION TO DISSEMINATING INFORMATION ON SAFE MEDICATION USE GAINED THROUGH ITS REPORTING PROGRAMS AND OTHER SOURCES, ISMP CONDUCTS ORIGINAL RESEARCH TO HELP PROVIDE EVIDENCE-BASED SOLUTIONS AND DEVELOPS GUIDANCE AND PREVENTION STRATEGIES TO PREVENT ERRORS. ISMP MOST RECENTLY ISSUED THE 2022-2023 TARGETED MEDICATION SAFETY BEST PRACTICES FOR HOSPITALS AND 2023-2024 TARGETED MEDICATION SAFETY BEST PRACTICES FOR COMMUNITY PHARMACY TO IDENTIFY, INSPIRE, AND MOBILIZE NATIONAL ACTION ON RECURRING SAFETY PROBLEMS. ISMP ALSO HAS CONDUCTED NATIONAL MEDICATION SAFETY SELF-ASSESSMENTS FOR ACUTE CARE HOSPITALS IN 2000, 2004, AND 2011, A SELF-ASSESSMENT FOR HIGH-ALERT MEDICATIONS IN 2018 AND A SELF-ASSESSMENT FOR PERIOPERATIVE MEDICATION SAFETY IN 2021. TOPICS THAT OTHER ISMP SELF-ASSESSMENTS HAVE ADDRESSED INCLUDE ONCOLOGY, COMMUNITY/AMBULATORY PHARMACY, AND ANTITHROMBOTIC THERAPY.