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National Time Out Day 2005: Stop medication mix-ups

Staff Development Weekly: Insight on Evidence-Based Practice in Education, June 24, 2005

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Approximately 1.3 million people are injured due to medication mix-ups annually, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. This year's National Time Out Day on June 22 focused on spreading awareness to healthcare professionals about the dangers of medication errors, such as the mislabeling of medications, according the Association of periOperative Nurses (AORN). The association seeks to inform the nation's doctors, nurses, and other caregivers about the disheartening numbers of medication-related injuries. To spread the message, AORN made "Safe Medication Administration Tool Kits" available to its members. To learn more about National Time Out Day 2005 and the toolkit, click here.

To help nurses protect patients from medication errors, teach them to-at a minimum- adhere to the following labeling practices:

• Ensure the drug name, strength, and amount (if not apparent from the container)
• Make certain the expiration date is marked when not used within 24 hours
• For all compounded intravenous admixtures and aprenteral nutrition solutions, be sure the label includes the date prepared and the diluent

Editor's note: The above list is adapted from The Compliance Guide to the JCAHO's Medication Management Standards, Second Edition, an HCPro, Inc, publication.

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