A risk assessment program for medication systems in long-term care

摘要

Medication errors exist in long-term care facilities.1 This is not surprising considering the number of medications administered daily to residents.2 Two Canadian reports described a number of concerns related to lack of medication incident reporting and medication management issues in long-term care.3'4 A new risk assessment program, developed by ISMP Canada, assists in identifying medication system vulnerabilities and potential safeguards that on implementation would reduce the potential for errors and problems identified in the above reports. The success of the Medication Safety Self-Assessment for Hospitals led to its use as a template in creating such a program for long-term care. This new program, the Medication Safety Self-Assessment for Long Term Care (MSSA for LTC), is now being rolled out to nursing homes in Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia. Pharmacists who provide services for nursing homes and continuing care facilities will be invited to participate as members of the multidisciplinary team that completes the MSSA program.