Title: Assist with data collection and analysis for quality assurance and for patient safety.
Course: Pharmacy Technician II (14152-II) > Section: Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients

Assistance should include methods used to increase patient safety by decreasing medication errors through detecting, reporting, analyzing, and correcting errors. Methods should include

- double-checking one's own work
- having another pharmacy technician double-check work
- having a pharmacist double-check work
- investigating situations where a medication error is common, such as missing doses; extra doses; look-alike, sound-alike drugs (LASA)
- reporting and correcting errors, as needed
- analyzing the role of safety organizations in the prevention of errors
- defining
  - Institute for Safe Medical Practices (ISMP)
  - The Joint Commission
  - MedWatch
  - black box warning
  - contraindications
  - off-label use
  - National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP)
  - Institute of Medicine (IOM)
  - Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS)

See ASHP 3.13.

Process/Skill Questions:

- What are the characteristics of an effective pharmacy department's approach to preventing medication errors?
- What roles do automation and information technology play in preventing drug misadventures?
- What are the basic features of some common programs for reporting medication misadventures?
- What is SALAD or LASA?
- What systems can be implemented to avoid misadventures due to SALAD or LASA?