Medication Error Prevention: The Essential Guide for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians

At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Describe the frequency and potential consequences of medication errors.

• Discuss the distinction between drug safety, safe medication administration, quality issues, adverse events, and medication errors.

• Identify and discuss the roles of various governing bodies in promoting and ensuring medication safety.

• Discuss common types and causes of medication errors committed by pharmacists.

• Describe how patient behavior may contribute to medication errors.

• Describe the reporting requirements for medication errors.

• Discuss a pharmacist’s obligations under Florida’s Continuous Improvement Program.

• Identify ways a pharmacist can help promote medication safety for patients.

• Describe the six “rights” of safe medication administration.

• Discuss ways in which patient safety can be improved during medication distribution.

• Describe steps that a consumer can take to avoid a medication error.

The purpose of this course is to provide pharmacy professionals with a deeper understanding of common types of medication errors, reasons why these errors occur, and the steps that they can take to prevent potentially deadly mistakes in medication prescription, dispensing, administration, and use.