APSF recommends practices to avoid medication errors

In the wake of the RaDonda Vaught trial, the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation (APSF) issued an advisory recommending health leaders implement changes to make it difficult for a similar medical error to occur. APSF recommends that hospitals and their pharmacies wrap plastic around or place a bright warning label on certain high-risk medications to prevent or delay providers’ access to them. Hospitals could also require patients who receive high-risk medications to be monitored by a qualified practitioner for a set amount of time. Third, hospitals should ensure that their organizational culture does not encourage practitioners to repeatedly override safety measures to accomplish tasks. APSF is an arm of the American Society of Anesthesiologists. (MedPage Today article, 6/2/22)