Improving medication safety through the use of metrics.
OBJECTIVE
Describe medication safety metrics used at University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) institutions and recommend a meaningful way to report and communicate medication safety information across an organization.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was conducted using an electronically distributed, open-ended survey instrument.


RESULTS
Twenty percent of the UHC institutions responded to our survey. Seventy-seven percent of those institutions responding to our survey reported their organization has defined metrics to measure medication safety; an additional 21% of the institutions were still in the process of defining metrics. Of metrics that were reported, 33% were true medication safety metrics. Results are distributed to a wide variety of institutional venues.


CONCLUSIONS
Institutions should take several actions related to medication safety including defining local metrics; building metrics addressing preventable adverse drug events, medication errors, and technology; and reporting results to a variety of venues in order to design specific interventions to improve local medication use.
Manchester University College of Pharmacy, Fort Wayne, IN, USA.
Robert D
RD
Beckett
Marina
M
Yazdi
Laura J
LJ
Hanson
Ross W
RW
Thompson
D000046:Academic Medical Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003142:Communication; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*
adverse drug events; medication errors; medication safety; metrics