Targeted medication safety best practices for hospitals 2020-2021

Summary

The ISMP Targeted Medication Safety Best Practices for Hospitals (TMSBP) were developed to identify, inspire, and mobilise widespread, national adoption in the US of consensus-based best practices for specific medication safety issues that continue to cause fatal and harmful errors in patients, despite repeated warnings in ISMP publications.

The best practice recommendations presented in this guidance document are based on error reports received through the ISMP National Medication Errors Reporting Program (ISMP MERP) and have been reviewed by an external expert advisory panel and approved by the ISMP Board of Trustees. This initiative was first launched in 2014 and is updated with additional best practices, as needed, every two years.

While targeted for the hospital-based setting, some best practices are applicable to other healthcare settings. Facilities can focus their medication safety efforts on these Best Practices, which are realistic and have been successfully adopted by numerous organisations.