Demystifying medication safety: making sense of the terminology.
BACKGROUND
Although there is a growing interest in medication safety, there remains much confusion about the terminology used to describe the problem. Some have described the classification of medication safety terminology as haphazard.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this commentary is to help provide some direction by clarifying the terminology.


METHODS
A review of the medication safety literature was performed. A description of commonly used terms is provided and the implications of the misuse of terminology are discussed.


RESULTS
There are inconsistencies in the definitions of commonly used terms that may affect the accuracy of event rates. This may have an adverse impact on the establishment of medication safety priorities and on the validity of cross-jurisdictional comparisons.


CONCLUSIONS
As the medication safety literature continues to expand, it is imperative that standardized terminology be adopted and used consistently.
Ackroyd-Stolarz
Stacy
S
Department of Emergency Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada B3H 2Y9. stacy.ackroyd@dal.ca
Hartnell
Nicole
N
Mackinnon
Neil J
NJ
D016907:Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012449:Safety; D009626:Terminology as Topic