Medication Error Prevention Flashcards
6 cards from real ISMP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 6 Medication Error Prevention flashcards as text
ISMP's 'error-prone abbreviations' list includes which abbreviation that should never be used in medication orders?
Answer: QD (for every day)
QD is on ISMP's error-prone abbreviations list because it can be misread as QID (four times daily), potentially causing a fourfold overdose.
According to ISMP, a 'near miss' in medication safety is best defined as:
Answer: An error that was caught before reaching the patient
A near miss is an error that was intercepted before it reached the patient, providing a critical learning opportunity to prevent future harm.
Which decade-long effort by ISMP contributed most to eliminating the use of leading zeros in drug doses (e.g., .5 mg should be written as 0.5 mg)?
Answer: Error-prone abbreviations campaign
ISMP's error-prone abbreviations campaign specifically targets writing practices like missing leading zeros that cause tenfold dosing errors.
ISMP recommends that pharmacies implement barcode medication verification primarily to:
Answer: Verify the correct drug, dose, and patient at the point of dispensing
Barcode verification at dispensing and administration ensures the right drug, dose, and patient match, catching errors before administration.
In medication error prevention, 'human factors engineering' refers to:
Answer: Designing equipment and environments to minimize human error
Human factors engineering applies knowledge of human limitations and behaviors to design safer medical devices, software, and workflows.
ISMP recommends that 'tall man lettering' be applied to drug names primarily on:
Answer: Drug labels, pharmacy systems, and medication administration records
Tall man lettering should appear on drug labels, pharmacy dispensing systems, and MAR to alert all users to look-alike/sound-alike confusion risks.