New milestones achieved in medication safety

The Commission is proud to release the Medication without harm – WHO Global Patient Safety Challenge Status Report. This report highlights Australia’s significant progress towards reducing medication errors and adverse drug events, a critical goal of the WHO Global Health Challenge.

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Substantial improvements have been made since the release of Australia’s response in 2020, which outlined 16 priority actions to reduce medication-related harm by 50% by 2025. The new Status Report captures these key achievements through to June 2024, including notable milestones such as:

  • An 11% reduction in dispensing rates of antipsychotic medicines for people aged 65 years and over between 2016–17 and 2020–21.
  • A 10% decrease in the rate of hospitalisations for insulin-related adverse events and poisonings since the peak in 2021-22, even as diabetes continues to rise.
  • A 37% fall in unintentional drug-induced deaths involving opioids since 2018, due to regulation of access and the implementation of real-time prescription monitoring.

While we celebrate these successes, the report also identifies areas requiring further attention. To support ongoing efforts, a Priority Action Status Summary is included, offering a clear overview of our progress and the current status of activities.

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More information

Visit safetyandquality.gov.au/med-safety or contact the Commission’s Safety and Quality Advice Centre

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Medication safety
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