Medication safety and medicines shortages: alerts and guidance
Medication safety alerts are issued in response to reported incidents, or for medicines with known high risk. Alerts and guidance are also issued on medicines shortages. They can advise on:
- action to prevent future adverse medicine events, or to lessen the risk of such events, and
- strategies on conserving medicines during a medicines shortage and associated safety considerations.
New fact sheets – IV fluid shortages
2024Fact sheet or brochureThis fact sheet provides health service organisations (HSOs) and clinicians with information on conservation strategies and safety considerations related to the IV fluid shortage and disruption to supply in Australia.
2024Fact sheet or brochureThis fact sheet has been developed to provide information about the current IV fluid shortage being experienced in Australia. The factsheet aims to assist consumers, their families and/or carers understand the IV fluid shortage and the impact it has on the health care they receive.
Aims of alerts and guidance
The aim of alerts is to:
- Inform health services, clinicans and consumers about serious known medication risks and safety considerations
- Outline the action required to minimise risks
- Provide guidance and tools to minimise risk, including reducing the impact from medicine shortages.
Responsibility for alerts and guidance
Each jurisdiction manages its own medication safety alerts (and/or notices).
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is responsible for:
- Product recalls
- Hazard alerts
- Medicine shortages.
The National Safety and Quality Health Service (NHSQHS) Medication Safety Standard requires health service organisations to regularly assess the use and misuse of high-risk medicines, consider the safety implications of medicines shortages, and implement evidence-based risk reduction strategies to ensure safe and appropriate storage, prescribing, dispensing, and administration of medicines.
The Commission is responsible for developing alerts and guidance to support and guide health service organisations, clinicians and consumers on:
- High-risk medicines
- Conserving medicines
- Safety considerations during medicine shortages.
