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M E D
S A F E T Y
have to scan only 1 vial to open a
storage drawer. What if you have 10
NO EXCEPTIONS All medications
on the sterile field must be labeled.
items to stock, but one of them is
incorrect? It can very easily end up
where it shouldn't.
To help ensure medications are
stocked correctly, standardize your
drugs whenever possible and differentiate look-alike and sound-alike
drugs by using TALLman lettering on storage labels and by keeping
them in non-adjacent bins. Vials of similar shape or color can also be
mistaken for the same product.
Avoid falling victim to confirmation bias. Carefully read entire labels
— don't stop once you see the correct vial shape, drug name, label
color or dose information. Take a few seconds to ensure all of those
elements are correct and match what you're intending to pull.
Have double-checks in place for high-risk products — the person
drawing medications should ask someone else to verbally and visually
confirm that the medication and dose match what's intended. The bottom line: Always work on the assumption that the medication you've
pulled or have been given is wrong, and proceed thinking you must
prove it to be correct. OSM
Dr. Kromis (leroy.kromis@lvhn.org) is the medication safety officer at
Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pa.
M A R C H 2013 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
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