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M E D I C A T I O N
S A F E T Y
9. SEPARATE UNEQUALS One of the hazards of persistent and
reoccurring drug shortages is that sometimes you end up getting the
drugs you need in different strengths. Look closely here and you'll see
that vials of atropine, a very potent drug, are all being stored together,
even though some contain 1mg doses, and some contain 0.4mg doses.
It's not hard to imagine a patient ending up with 2.5 times the intended dose (or only 40% of the intended dose). Make absolutely sure you
store different strengths of the same drug separately.
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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 | D E C E M B E R 2013
