UF center to focus on medication safety

[mvm...@yahoo.com]

An article about RX medication mistakes from today's copy of the
Courier.

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UF center to focus on medication safety

By DENISE GRANT

Staff Writer

A group of health care professionals began a Findlay meeting on
Tuesday by listening to a father's testimony about a medication
mistake that killed his 17-month-old son.

Videotaped by a hospital in Savannah, Ga., known for being one of the
safest hospitals in the country, the father's story now serves as a
jarring reminder that medicine mistakes can happen anywhere.

Kathy Crea, an associate professor of pharmacy practice at the
University of Findlay, said such mistakes are devastating for parents,
families and many times for medical professionals.

"After a mistake like this, some will walk away from the medical
profession," said Crea, who chaired Tuesday's event.

The University of Findlay's School of Pharmacy organized the meeting
in an effort to garner support for a patient safety education center
that would work to educate students, the medical community and the
public about safety with medicine.

The School of Pharmacy is integrating patient and medication safety
concepts into its curriculum, and is moving forward with the
development of the center.

Opened in the fall of 2006, the School of Pharmacy now has about 300
students and will graduate its first pharmacist in 2010.

The goal of the safety education center would be to educate and train
future and current health care professionals, from physicians to
nurses and pharmacists, and to keep them current on patient and
medication safety initiatives.

The center would also work on team-building and communication through
hands-on simulations and access to current technology.

Crea said where there is innovation, there is grant money, and the
project is going to take a lot of money. The university is hoping to
build a network of supporters for the center.

Failing to address the safety problem could prove even more costly, in
both human suffering and dollars.

Crea followed the videotape of the father's testimony with "the facts"
about medication mistakes, now the eighth-leading cause of death in
the United States. It costs between $54 billion and $79 billion, or 6
percent of total annual national health care spending, to address.

In 2006, the Institute of Medicine reported that medication errors
affect at least 1.5 million patients every year.

Blanchard Valley Hospital urges those with medication questions to
contact its center for medication management. People don't need to be
hospitalized to utilize the center, but they should call first. The
phone number is 419-423-5177.

Crea said the university's School of Pharmacy is working to train a
new generation of pharmacists who will make safety protocols an
integrated part of their future profession.

Crea said consumers also need to be educated, so they know what
questions to ask about their medication, and where to get that
information. And once the public starts asking more questions, Crea
said, the medical community needs to respond, which will require time
and the right facilities.

She said it could take about 10 years to instill "a culture of
safety."

Contact staff writer Denise Grant at:

419-427-8412

denis...@thecourier.com