PSNet - Annual Perspective: Topics in medication safety (31 March 2022)

Summary

Issues with medication management and errors in medication administration are major threats to patient safety. This article for the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Patient Safety Network takes a look at the AHRQ's current areas of focus for medication safety. The authors look at evidence-based solutions to improve medication safety in three areas:

• High-risk medication use and polypharmacy in older adults
• Reducing opioid overprescribing, increasing naloxone access and use and other interventions for opioid medication safety
• Nursing-sensitive medication safety

The article also explores future research directions in medication safety and highlights that these will advance patient safety overall.