title: Medication error prevention: profiling one of pharmacy's foremost advocacy efforts for advice on error prevention.
abstract: Medication errors have become a growing concern with the increase in the number of critically ill patients, in the complexity of drug therapy and in the use of more potent, dangerous drugs. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a nonprofit organization founded three years ago, is in the forefront of medication error prevention efforts. Working with practitioners, regulatory agencies, healthcare institutions, professional organizations and the pharmaceutical industry, both nationally and internationally, ISMP provides timely and accurate medication safety information through its educational programs, site-reviews, and ongoing publications. This article reviews the work of ISMP and offers recommendations for managers to begin error prevention strategies.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Warminster, PA, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Proulx
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wilfinger
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Cohen
mesh_terms: D016907:Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D003625:Data Collection; D004346:Drug Information Services; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000592:standards*; D004512:Education, Pharmacy / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007391:International Cooperation; D008508:Medication Errors; D009939:Organizations, Nonprofit; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012106:Research; D012957:Societies, Pharmaceutical; D014481:United States