The Commission is now operating in accordance with the Caretaker Conventions pending the outcome of the 2025 federal election.

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.

Print

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.

Download a copy

Learn more

More information

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

Topics
Medication safety
Back to top