Medication Management: Strategies for Advanced Practice Clinicians

Description

Medication management is by far the area providers can make the most impact within the professional practice arena. Data from closed claims shows that medication management is a risky area, most importantly the monitoring of medications. Monitoring and management begin when the patient receives the medication until the patient is no longer on the medication. An effective medication management process is essential for safe patient care. Having current patient medication information will assist with subsequent prescribing and a plan of care.

Description of the Professional Practice Gap (PPG)

In reviewing closed claims, The Doctors Company analyzed 821 ambulatory closed claims from 2010 to 2020 with medication issues. We found 18 percent of errors occurred during the ordering of medications, only 5 percent during administration.  The bulk of the errors were found during managing and monitoring with 77 percent. This course highlights the importance of an effective medication management process for safe patient care. Having current patient medication information will assist with subsequent prescribing and a plan of care.

Learning Outcome

The learner will have knowledge of best practices for medication error prevention and mitigation as evidenced by attaining a score of 80 percent or better on responses to interactive questions and will translate that knowledge into practice.

Learning Objectives

After completing this activity, learners will be able to:

• Identify the gaps in your medication management system
• Develop improvement strategies that address the top three gaps in your medication management process
• Apply a process improvement method to implement changes to address and close gaps
• Develop and use an assessment method to evaluate the medication management system stability

Course Developers

Kimberly Hathaway, MSN, RN, CPHRM, CPHQ, Director Patient Safety Healthcare Quality & Risk Management, The Doctors Company
Johanna Lackner, MPH, MSW, Senior Director, Continuing Professional Development, Department of Patient Safety and Risk Management, The Doctors Company

Accreditation and Disclosure Statements

The Doctors Company is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.

The Doctors Company designates this activity for a maximum of 1.25 nursing contact hours. Learners should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
 
No individual in a position to control or influence the content of this activity has reported relevant financial relationships with commercial interests. No commercial support was provided for this activity. 


Disclaimer Statement

This program is being offered for informational and educational purposes only from a Patient Safety Risk Management perspective and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary from state to state, actual clinical situations often involve subtle differences and nuances from program scenarios or recommendations, and the recommendations provided in this activity may not apply to all practice situations. In complex circumstances, which present significant potential for an adverse event or litigation, TDC and the faculty recommend you consult directly with your corporate or personal counsel for professional legal guidance. 

Complies with State Requirements

Technical Requirements

The activity is best experienced using the most current browser: Firefox, Chrome, Safari, or Microsoft Edge. Internet Explorer is not supported on this platform. All activities featuring audio must have a speaker. To view graphic images and references that appear in separate "pop-up" windows, JavaScript and session cookies must be enabled on your computer. Adobe Acrobat Reader may be required for certain activities.

Contact Us

If you have questions, contact educationsupport@thedoctors.com or call 800.421.2368.

Resource

Visit our Resource document for this program.