Information resources for medication safety

“The Institute for Healthcare Improvement has developed and adapted a suite of tools to help organizations accelerate their work to improve the medication systems and develop a culture of safety. In addition, many organizations have developed tools in the course of their improvement efforts — successful protocols, order sets and forms, instructions and guidelines for implementing key changes — and are making them available on IHI.org for others to use or adapt in their own organizations.” Among the areas covered by these tools are: high-hazard medications; failure modes and effects analysis; and medication reconciliation, one of the 2005 National Patient Safety Goals. www.ihi.org/IHI/Topics/PatientSafety/MedicationSystems/Tools/

Another resource is the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Medical Errors, which has a toolkit for medication reconciliation at www.macoalition.org/Initiatives/RMToolkit.shtml. For other initiatives of the Mass. Coalition, see www.macoalition.org/initiatives.shtml