Ontario Medication Safety Support Service

The Medication Safety Support Service is a joint initiative of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term care, the Ontario Hospital Association and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada established to promote medication safety.

Our first project is to assist Ontario hospitals to implement strategies and safeguards for the prevention of patient injury from errors with potassium chloride. A KCl support package is made available to Hospitals as part of the initiative. In October of 2002, a survey on the disposition of potassium chloride injectables was conducted in collaboration with the Ontario Hospital Association and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term care. A follow-up survey was conducted in June 2003 with the following preliminary results:

• The number of Ontario hospitals stocking concentrated KCl in patient care areas has dropped from 62% to 26%.
• The number of Ontario hospitals stocking concentrated KCl in Emergency departments has dropped from 65% to 35%.
• The number of Ontario hospitals stocking concentrated KCl in ICUs has dropped from 50% to 35%.
• 71% of hospitals indicate that they have made changes to KCl distribution in the past 6 months, i.e., after the first survey and other professional communications and during the time of the project (January to June, 2003).
• 63% of hospitals plan to make changes in the near future.
• 63% of hospitals used the resources of the Medication Safety Support Service.
• The number of hospitals that have implemented automatic substitution policies regarding concentrated KCl has increased from 21% to 43%, i.e., has doubled.
• The number of hospitals that have standards for administration and use of potassium chloride has risen from 38% to 57%.
• The number of hospitals purchasing premixed solutions has risen by 13%.

Encouraged by these results, the Medication Safety Support Service has started a similar initiative on the disposition of narcotic medications in February 2004. A baseline survey is in progress. Further development and support will be provided on this page.

In addition the Ontario MSSS has expanded into the areas of Long Term Care, Emergency Medical Services, and Community Pharmacy.