Medication Safety & Pharmaceutical Organizations
American Society of Health-System Pharmacists
http://www.ashp.org/menu/InformationFor/Patients.aspx
ASHP is a national professional association that represents pharmacists who practice in hospitals, health maintenance organizations, long-term care facilities, home care, and other components of health care systems. They have offer an extensive information for patients page which offers tips and tools for safe medication practices and step-by-step instructions on how to administer the different forms of medication.
Be MedWise
Be MedWise is a public education initiative by the National Council on Patient Information and Education (also listed below). Be MedWise seeks to promote a better understanding that over-the-counter (OTC) drug products are serious medicines and must be taken with care. On this website, patients can find educational resources for successfully managing and understanding their medications.
Bridge Medical
Bridge Medical offers information on medications, data analysis, specimen ID, and services. Mederrors.com is a link to Bridge Medical, and focuses mainly on medication errors and adverse drug events. It offers:
-an interactive course called Anatomy of an Error
-an extensive library of article summaries
-specialized features
-resources
-a list of events
-Frequently Asked Questions
Drug Digest®
http://www.drugdigest.org/wps/portal/ddigest
DrugDigest® is a noncommercial, evidence-based, consumer health and drug information site dedicated to empowering consumers to make informed choices about drugs and treatment options. It consumers offers information on hundreds of prescription and over-the-counter drugs. Patients and consumers can search by drug/herb, conditions, or news and reviews. In its drug library, patients can view pill images, check for interactions, compare drugs, and compare side effects. Some other key features of the site include the “7 Steps to Safety”, medication safety tips, a check for savings section, a medication card, and a medication checklist of the 13 facts that patients should know about each of their prescriptions. It also offers an extensive online medical glossary of over 40,000 health- and drug-related terms.
Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation
The Emergency Medicine Patient Safety Foundation (EMPSF) is a national, not-for-profit organization formed in 2003 to identify and respond to challenges of providing safe, quality health care in the practice of emergency medicine.
Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is based in Philadelphia, and is devoted to medication error prevention and safe medication use. There is also an area on their website where errors can be reported. The website offers information on:
-education and awareness
-medication safety tools and resources
-products
-news and events
-industry
Institute of Medicine (IOM)
The Institute of Medicine works to improve the health of the nation by acting as an advisor and, to do so, provides well researched information to the public. The website of The Institute supplies such subjects as:
-Aging
-Diseases
-Food and Nutrition
-Public Health and Prevention
-and treatment, among others.
Medical Error and Patient Safety Learning
www.medicalerrorreduction.com/
The website for Medical Error and Patient Safety Learning offers many resources such as books, articles, booths, and fact sheets. For providers to the site, there are consultation services and a forum.
Medwatch
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/index.html
Medwatch, which is the FDA Safety Information and Adverse Event Reporting Program, is a site available to both healthcare professionals and the public. It offers clinical information and discusses safety problems, such as drugs, medical devices, and biological products.
National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE)
NCPIE is a non-profit coalition striving to stimulate and improve the communication of information on the appropriate use of medicines to consumers and health care professionals. NCPIE develops programs, provides educational resources, and offers services to advance the common mission of its members.
National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP)
National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) is an organization working to maximize the safe use of medications and to increase awareness of medication errors through open communication, increased reporting and promotion of medication error prevention strategies.
US Pharmacopoeia (USP)
USP is an nonprofit organization collaborating with industries, governments, academic institutions, healthcare practitioners, and consumer groups from around the world to set scientifically developed standards that help ensure over–the–counter and prescription medicines are of high quality, are pure, are of the appropriate and expected strength, and are consistent from one pill, bottle, shelf, and pharmacy to the next. USP offers:
-definitions of medical and drug terminology
-articles on medication errors in various settings, medication safety initiatives, and the impact of practitioner experience on official drug standards-tools such as USP’s Drug Error Finder, a free tool for accessing look–alike/sound–alike drug names
-alerts on specific drug products based on medication error reports
-patient safety newsletters (USP Drug Safety Review,USP Medication Safety Review, Error Watch, USP Quality Review)