Medication Safety: Getting to the Root of the Issue

Tuesday, January 19, 2021
3:00 – 4:00 p.m. CT

Webinar Materials/Resources:
Medication Safety Presentation
Medication Safety Webinar recording
IHI Cause and Effect Instructions
IHI Cause and Effect Worksheet (ADEs) 

Medications can be lifesaving treatments that change the world. Unfortunately, if not used properly medications can also lead to adverse events. In fact adverse drug events (ADEs) account for over 1 million emergency department visits a year and 1/3 of all hospital adverse events. For these reasons, the Great Plains Quality Care Coalition is starting a Learning and Action series around Medication Safety.

The first event in the series, Medication Safety – Getting to the Root of the Problem, will focus on the causes of adverse events. Drawing from the National Action Plan for Adverse Drug Event Prevention and the Age Friendly Health System 4Ms model, this presentation will review the many factors that can lead to adverse events and introduce practices to avoid ADEs.

Presenter: Jayme Steig, PharmD, RPh
Great Plains Quality Improvement Advisor

“It takes a team effort to improve medication safety,” stated Steig . “The process may start with the provider prescribing medications and the medication assistant administering them, but includes the social worker finding access to medications and the therapist identifying non-pharmacologic treatments. The pharmacist is engaged in preparing medications and reviewing safety and the family caregivers must understand how to help organize medications. Anyone involved in the provision of care is involved in medication safety.”

The Medication Safety collaborative action series begins with this Webinar on January 19 and includes 4 learning events. Each learning event will be followed by an action group to allow for additional discussion, coaching and development of quality improvement efforts to improve medication safety.

Source: National Action Plan for Adverse Drug Event Prevention 

Continuing Education
Great Plains Quality Innovation Network is an approved provider of continuing education by the North Dakota Board of Examiners for Nursing Home Administrators and the South Dakota Board of Nursing Facility Administrators.