Medication Safety Showcase
To mark World Patient Safety Day 2022, we are showcasing medication safety initiatives from health services around Australia.
World Patient Safety Day is an initiative of the World Health Organization (WHO) that calls for global solidarity and action to improve patient safety.
The theme for 2022 is Medication Safety – ‘Medication without harm’, across three flagship areas: Polypharmacy, High-risk medicines, and Transitions of care.
The Commission supports WHO in their efforts to increase safe use of medicines.
- More information on World Health Organization - World Patient Safety Day, 17 September 2022
- Commission resources addressing flagship areas of World Patient Safety Day 2022
Project Showcase
We extend our thanks to the 13 health services from across Australia that submitted posters showcasing their hospital Quality Improvement achievements in medication safety.
View details and summaries of each of these projects below.
Posters
High-risk medicines
High-risk medicines
Project Summaries
Polypharmacy
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1 - Implementing pharmacist led deprescribing in haemodialysis: quality use of medicine activity in the Queensland hospital Setting
- Health service: Queensland Health, QLD
- Outline: Evaluation of a pharmacist-led deprescribing tool in Australian inpatient and outpatient haemodialysis settings
2 - Improving medication safety in older people through the 4Ms framework
- Health service: Safer Care Victoria, VIC
- Outline: Assessing and acting on polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate polypharmacy in older people through the 4M’s – What Matters; Medication; Mind and Mobility
High-risk medicines
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3 - The Druggle, Improving Paediatric Oncology Drug Knowledge in Real Time
- Health service: Sydney Children’s Hospital, NSW
- Outline: Assessing improvement in nursing staff drug knowledge through a pharmacist-led education program (The Druggle)
4 - Development and Implementation of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Stewardship across a Hospital Network
- Health service: Sydney Local Health District, NSW
- Outline: Exploring the effectiveness of a VTE stewardship program to provide oversight of initiatives to prevent VTE
5 - The Development of an Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for Deprescribing Opioid Analgesics
- Health service: University of Sydney, NSW
- Outline: Development of an evidence-based opioid deprescribing guideline, with methodologies as per the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) & Canadian Bruyere Research Institute
6 - Improving the Safety of Potassium
- Health service: Tasmanian Health Service, TAS
- Outline: Reducing the use and requirements of potassium ampoules outside critical care areas
7 - Time Critical Medication Dose Omissions after Electronic Medication Management (EMM) Implementation
- Health service: Alfred Health, VIC
- Outline: Evaluating the influence of EMM systems on time critical dose omissions 6 and 18 months after implementation
8 - Reshaping opioid prescribing in acute pain management post caesarean section
- Health service: University of Queensland, QLD
- Outline: Evaluating impact of obstetrician, midwifery and pharmacist education on discharge opioid prescribing practices post caesarean section
9 - Pushing Back the Tide of Opioid Prescribing
- Health service: Epic Pharmacy
- Outline: Assessing quantity of opioids prescribed and required at discharge for postoperative pain relief
10 - Implementing Analgesic Stewardship Programs in Victoria
- Health service: Safer Care Victoria, Alfred Health, VIC
- Outline: Implementing an analgesic stewardship program to optimise opioid analgesic use in adult surgical patients
11 - Could Regular Supplemental Insulin Order Be the Answer to Glycaemic Control for Inpatients?
- Health service: Sydney Local Health District, NSW
- Outline: Evaluating the use of regular supplemental insulin orders to improve administration of supplemental insulin and glycaemic control in patient with type 2 diabetes
Transitions of care
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12 - Validating the ‘Student-Obtained Medication Histories’ Program: The accuracy of pharmacy students compared to pharmacists
- Health service: Sydney Local Health District, University of Sydney, NSW
- Outline: Evaluating the accuracy of a best possible medication history (BPMH) obtained from a pharmacy student, compared to a pharmacist
13 - Impact of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Pharmacist on Transitions of Care
- Health service: Liverpool Hospital, South Western Sydney Local Health District, NSW
- Outline: Assessing impact of a specialist Pharmacist in an IBD clinic to facilitate transitions of care, improve patient education and adherence to medications
Polypharmacy
-
1 - Implementing pharmacist led deprescribing in haemodialysis: quality use of medicine activity in the Queensland hospital Setting
- Health service: Queensland Health, QLD
- Outline: Evaluation of a pharmacist-led deprescribing tool in Australian inpatient and outpatient haemodialysis settings
2 - Improving medication safety in older people through the 4Ms framework
- Health service: Safer Care Victoria, VIC
- Outline: Assessing and acting on polypharmacy and potentially inappropriate polypharmacy in older people through the 4M’s – What Matters; Medication; Mind and Mobility
High-risk medicines
-
3 - The Druggle, Improving Paediatric Oncology Drug Knowledge in Real Time
- Health service: Sydney Children’s Hospital, NSW
- Outline: Assessing improvement in nursing staff drug knowledge through a pharmacist-led education program (The Druggle)
4 - Development and Implementation of Venous Thromboembolism (VTE) Stewardship across a Hospital Network
- Health service: Sydney Local Health District, NSW
- Outline: Exploring the effectiveness of a VTE stewardship program to provide oversight of initiatives to prevent VTE
5 - The Development of an Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline for Deprescribing Opioid Analgesics
- Health service: University of Sydney, NSW
- Outline: Development of an evidence-based opioid deprescribing guideline, with methodologies as per the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) & Canadian Bruyere Research Institute
6 - Improving the Safety of Potassium
- Health service: Tasmanian Health Service, TAS
- Outline: Reducing the use and requirements of potassium ampoules outside critical care areas
7 - Time Critical Medication Dose Omissions after Electronic Medication Management (EMM) Implementation
- Health service: Alfred Health, VIC
- Outline: Evaluating the influence of EMM systems on time critical dose omissions 6 and 18 months after implementation
8 - Reshaping opioid prescribing in acute pain management post caesarean section
- Health service: University of Queensland, QLD
- Outline: Evaluating impact of obstetrician, midwifery and pharmacist education on discharge opioid prescribing practices post caesarean section
9 - Pushing Back the Tide of Opioid Prescribing
- Health service: Epic Pharmacy
- Outline: Assessing quantity of opioids prescribed and required at discharge for postoperative pain relief
10 - Implementing Analgesic Stewardship Programs in Victoria
- Health service: Safer Care Victoria, Alfred Health, VIC
- Outline: Implementing an analgesic stewardship program to optimise opioid analgesic use in adult surgical patients
11 - Could Regular Supplemental Insulin Order Be the Answer to Glycaemic Control for Inpatients?
- Health service: Sydney Local Health District, NSW
- Outline: Evaluating the use of regular supplemental insulin orders to improve administration of supplemental insulin and glycaemic control in patient with type 2 diabetes
Transitions of care
-
12 - Validating the ‘Student-Obtained Medication Histories’ Program: The accuracy of pharmacy students compared to pharmacists
- Health service: Sydney Local Health District, University of Sydney, NSW
- Outline: Evaluating the accuracy of a best possible medication history (BPMH) obtained from a pharmacy student, compared to a pharmacist
13 - Impact of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) Pharmacist on Transitions of Care
- Health service: Liverpool Hospital, South Western Sydney Local Health District, NSW
- Outline: Assessing impact of a specialist Pharmacist in an IBD clinic to facilitate transitions of care, improve patient education and adherence to medications