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SAFETY
MEDICATION SAFETY
3 Syringe Labeling Solutions
I
f you're not properly labeling syringes and other drug
delivery containers in the OR, you're putting your
patients at risk of a medication error. Immediate label-
ing is one of the Joint Commission's National Patient
Safety Goals. Here are 3 ways to make sure it's done, and
done right.
• Design your own labels for frequently used doses.
ORGANIZED IN THE OR
Preparing syringes at the point
and time of use doesn't require
labeling.
Buy sheets of pre-printed, ready-to-stick labels. They should include the drug name,
strength, amount and expiration time of 23:59. Because our surgery center isn't
open overnight, this time ensures that opened-but-unused drugs are discarded by
the end of the day and that single-use vials aren't reused (a cross-contamination
hazard). Once the medication is drawn, you just need to date and initial the label.
• Pre-filled syringes purchased from compounding pharmacies are conveniently
pre-labeled with all the necessary information.
• Perhaps the easiest way to stay compliant with labeling requirements is to
avoid pre-drawing altogether. Filling all the syringes you'll need to prepare for a
case in advance means taking the time to label them, too. But you don't have to
label syringes if you're drawing them at the point of use and administering them
directly to the patient right away. If you set out your syringes and single-use doses
at the beginning of a case, you'll be ready to go and you'll know what you're giving.
Stephen F. Butz, MD
Surgicenter of Greater Milwaukee
Milwaukee, Wisc.
sbutz@mcw.edu
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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 | M A R C H 2013
