Implementation of a 2006 National Patient Safety Goal (NPSG) on “medication labeling” will involve practice changes for physicians labeling medications or solutions during procedures conducted within the hospital and clinics.

The NPSG from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) calls for “labeling all medications, medication containers (e.g., syringes, medicine cups, basins), or other solutions on and off the sterile field in perioperative and other procedural settings.” The intent of this goal is to reduce the risk of errors resulting from medications and solutions removed from their original containers and placed into unlabeled containers.

SHC-specific guidelines to help physicians meet practice standards on medication labeling are available [medlabel.pdf]. This educational tool succinctly addresses the standards, best practices and frequently-asked questions regarding medication and solution labeling.

Since 1986, Stanford Medical Center and the VA Palo Alto Health Care System have led the way with innovative simulation training for caregivers. That training is expanding with the opening this fall of the Goodman Simulation Center at SHC. [See article.] Here Emergency Medicine attending physician and former resident Dan Garza evaluates a simulated patient in a simulated emergency department during the Emergency Medicine Crisis Resource Management (EMCRM) course at the VA’s dedicated simulation center.

This is the combined Aug./Sept. issue of the Medical Staff Update Online. We will be back with our regular monthly schedules and deadlines in October.