safety in the pharmacy•what is 6th leading cause of death?

•7000 fatalities/year from medicasl errors

•100000 fatalities/year from adverse drug reactions

•celebrities who have been killed by

pharmaceutical mistakes, overdoses, etc?

safety in the pharmacy• A. Personal safety• 1. Safety from physical harm• a. substances• b. supplies (chemicals, poisons, etc.)• c. equipment• d. improper body mechanics• 2. Employee responsibilities• a. maintain a safe work place• b. apply principles of proper body mechanics• c. wear appropriate PPE (Personal Protection Equipment) • d. follow proper procedures in handling pharmaceutical agents

that may pose a hazard to the practitioner• e. know where to locate the material safety data sheets (MSDS)• f. know and apply policies and procedures in case of• emergency

• i. fire safety• ii. chemical spills and other hazardous materials• iii. body fluids• iv. standard precautions• v. equipment maintenance and failure• vi. internal disasters (fire, robbery, bomb threat, etc.)• vii. external disaster (weather related, traffic disaster, etc.)• Environmental Safety• 1. Clean work place• 2. Proper ventilation• 3. Proper lighting• 4. Adequate set-up and layout of work place• 5. Properly functioning equipment• 6. Well trained employees aware of potential hazards

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)• 1. Workplaces may be inspected by OSHA officers without prior• announcement in order to accomplish intent to decrease hazards• in the workplace and maintain a reporting system for monitoring• job-related injuries and illness• 2. They develop mandatory job safety and health standards

• Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations• (JCAHO)• 1. Pharmacy standards of JCAHO provide quasi-legal standard

of practice for the profession• 2. In court of law practice standards define accepted

professional practice and assume quasi-legal status• 3. Pharmacies must meet strict standards in order to be

accredited by JCAHO• 4. Accreditation is voluntary but important if business is

interested in dealing with third party payers who require certification through accreditation process, e.g. Medicaid, etc.

• Pharmacy must ensure

• 1. Right drug – always double check the label on bulk bottle for

• strength and correctness

• 2. Right patient

• 3. Right dosage

• 4. Right route

• 5. Right time

• 6. Right attitude

• Practitioner must be familiar with• 1. Common side effects• 2. Contraindications• 3. Drug or food reactions with medications• 4. Generic drugs that may be substituted• D. Practitioner should know at minimum the following information for the

drugs most used in individual practice setting or geographical location• 1. Adverse drug reactions• 2. Side effects• 3. Contraindications• 4. Drug/food interactions• 5. Safe/effective dosage range• 6. Common dosage regimens• 7. Dosage forms• 8. Route of administration• E. Reviewing Refills• 1. Number of refills• 2. Correct drug selection• 3. Significantly early or late requests for refills may indicate• medication misuse

• Beware of dispensing errors

. Proper storage of pharmaceuticals• 1. Store in original container until dispensed• 2. Follow manufacturer’s directions for proper storage• 3. Follow proper disposal of expired drugs• a. deteriorated drugs are ineffective• b. deteriorated drugs may be a hazard if a condition

not treated appropriately• c. deterioration may cause chemical changes leading

to dangerous reactions• All schedule II drugs must be kept under lock and key.

With schedule III,• IV, and V drugs, lock and key storage is optional but

suggested