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Learn a colorful way to separate medications

Accreditation Connection, December 17, 2004

Pharmacy technicians at Tennessee Christian Medical Center in Madison, TN, used to traverse the pharmacy to fill medication carts, often moving methodically from room to room to pick out different medications.

When pharmacy staff decided to place medications in alphabetical order in one location to expedite the order-fulfillment process, another problem arose-how to prevent technicians from reaching into the wrong bin and grabbing the wrong medication. Colored plastic bins helped solve that problem. The different colors represent various drug types, from injectables to oral medications to extended-release versions of some medications, says David Kellogg, DPh, MS, the Tennessee Christian pharmacy director. "We were thinking about safety features for the Joint Commission," Kellogg says. "We wanted something that might be outside of the box."

The change helped the hospital reduce the risk of potential errors that could occur from technicians choosing the wrong drug in a hurry, Kellogg says, something that helps the hospital comply with JCAHO medication standard MM.8.10, which requires organizations to evaluate their medication management systems and take steps to improve safety.

The Tennessee Christian pharmacy divides medications in the following order:

* Beige bins for normal oral medications
* Green bins for extended-release versions of the drug they sit next to on the shelf
* Red bins for injectable forms of a drug
* Yellow bins for topicals, creams, and patches
* Blue bins for liquids
* Black bins for anesthesia drugs

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