Medication errors can result in preventable harm to nursing home residents and can also pose a significant financial burden. The November 2016 issue of the Journal of the American Geriatric Society published a systematic review of the prevalence of medication errors resulting in hospitalization and death of nursing home residents. This systematic review examined medication errors in nursing homes and found a high prevalence of errors overall. The review revealed that a significant number of errors were related to handoffs and that 75% of these older patients received at least one potentially inappropriate medication. However, serious harm associated with medication use was reported for less than 1% of errors. The authors emphasize the difficulty of attributing harm to medications versus underlying illness in nursing home residents, and they call for designing safer systems for medication administration in nursing homes. For journal edition information, click here. For additional article commentary on this review, click here.
The Great Plains QIN is partnering with providers, pharmacists and stakeholders in the region to reduce and monitor ADE rates. Learn more about this partnership on the Medication Safety webpage. For more information on how medication safety is a key element to improved care coordination, visit the Great Plains QIN Care Coordination Initiative page.