Some of the specific best practices the guide features to improve medication safety are:

--Handling placement of look-alike or sound-alike medications to minimize the potential for mix-up;


--Implementing safeguards for high-alert medications to reduce the potential for medication errors;

--Properly controlling sample medications in clinics;

--Properly storing products requiring special temperature control;

--Using 'black box' warnings from the Food and Drug Administration to review the safety of medications available for ordering by the medical staff;

--Minimizing the use of abbreviations in medication orders;

--Reconciling medications to promote safe and effective use during a patient's stay in the hospital and after patient discharge;

--Improving patient safety in all areas where medications are ordered and administered, including the surgical suite, interventional radiology and endoscopy labs;

--Using off-site pharmacists to provide order review when hospitals do not have 24-hour pharmacy coverage; and

--Properly labeling medications during surgery and other invasive procedures.

More information on the 8th edition of Assuring Continuous Compliance with Joint Commission Standards: A Pharmacy Guide, and how to purchase the guide, is available on the ASHP's website.
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