Patient safety to the fore
Patient safety is flavour of the week: it runs through a number of
stories we are covering. Arguably the simplest decision for pharmacists
to
make on the safety front is to undertake to talk to as many old people
as they can next week about their medicines, in order to check that
they understand why they are taking them and to sort out any problems
they may be having. Why next week? It is the fourth Ask About Medicines
Week (p542),
and it focuses on the fact that although 80 per cent of the over-75s
take at least one medicine, half of them do not take their
medicines as intended.
Another aspect of safety we touch on is the potential danger to patients
if they buy medicines via the internet and unwittingly use a website
not connected with a registered pharmacy. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society
is calling for online pharmacies to participate in piloting a logo that
will click through to the Society’s website, allowing visitors
to verify the registration details of the pharmacy and the pharmacist
behind the site (p557).
Perhaps the only oversight this week has been by the National Patient
Safety Agency. It has published a pledge entitled “A commitment
to patient safety”, which has been signed by representatives of
28 medical and dental bodies.
The aims of the pledge are: to be recognised among the best and safest
health services in the world; to ensure that patients receive the very
best care possible and achieve the best outcomes; and to minimise the
risk of harm to patients occurring as a consequence of health care. The
28 bodies also commit to recognising their leadership role in ensuring
patient safety; incorporating patient safety into training and education
programmes; creating an environment in which staff are able to report
incidents openly and honestly without recrimination; and giving patients
the information they need to contribute to their safety. All good stuff
and equally relevant to anyone working in the health service.
What a pity, then, that the NPSA restricted circulation of this document
to doctors and dentists. When asked why other bodies, such as the Royal
Pharmaceutical Society, had not been asked to sign the pledge, an NPSA
spokeswoman said: “This project has been taken forward with the
institutions represented on the NPSA’s medical advisory panel.
Everyone involved in health care has a part to play in patient safety
and we welcome a commitment by other professions.”
Patient safety can only be tackled if all health professionals involved
in the direct care of patients are equally committed to the same aims
and are recognised as equal partners in raising standards. With nearly
10 per cent of incidents and errors notified to the NPSA itself to do
with medicines (p535), the NPSA’s elitism does nobody any favours — least
of all patients.
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