January 2001
Abboject products from Abbott Laboratory have
been available to Canadian hospitals since the middle of December 2000. Now
Canadian healthcare professionals have a choice to purchase the Abboject
product line or the Lifeshield product line.
Bayer Canada recently informed ISMP Canada that
the work had been initiated with their international source plant in Italy
to make the label change on Cipro Oral Liquid. Specification on the label
changes is presently worked on. Progress and the subsequent change of label
will be updated to ISMP Canada in the near future.
ISMP Canada is currently examining other
concerns on labels that have been reported. The concerns involve primarily
on injectable products. A meeting is being organized by ISMP Canada inviting
pharmacists, physicians, manufacturers, CSA International and Health Canada
to re-visit the pharmaceutical label requirement and suggested guidelines
for the purpose of improving patient safety. Practitioners and hospitals are
encouraged to forward label and package concerns to ISMP Canada for
corrective actions.
Although many Canadians practitioners have found
the biweekly Medication Safety Alert! newsletter published by ISMP (US) very
informative and useful, ISMP Canada is planning to launch the Canadian
version which should include more Canadian contents and issues which are
relevant to the Canadian practice. Alert on mix-up of Canadian brand drug
names; label and packaging problems are just some examples. Plans are
underway to establish the proper infrastructure and resource to handle our
monthly newsletter.
ISMP Canada has just completed a prototype of a
medication error reporting and analysis software program (Analyse-err). The
Analyse-err program has two components: an objective factual reporting; and
a root-causes analysis exercise. It is being tested by four Canadian
hospitals (two teaching and two community hospitals) for a period of about
three months. Results of evaluation and feedback will be presented at the
two day conference in April (see the education calendar below).
In partnership with The CQI Network, ISMP Canada
will be sponsoring a major two day conference titled: "Breaking the
Silence: Error in Health Care" on April 20 and 21, 2001 in Toronto.
International reputable speakers will include Michael Cohen, David Bates,
David Cousin (UK) and others. The conference planning committee is being
chaired by Cynthia Majewski and Tom Paton. The program is being finalized
and should be available to all Canadian healthcare professionals and
organizations in the near future. Stay tuned.
A glance of all educational programs on patient
safety involving ISMP Canada for the next few months:
Medication Errors: Implementing Changes for Improved Patient Safety
sponsored by OHA, Toronto, January 31, 2001.
Medication Safety and its Impact on Hospitals, A breakfast satellite
session at the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists' Professional
Practice Conference, Toronto, February 6, 2001.
Risk Management for Long Term Care Facilities, organized by Infonex,
Toronto, March 5-6, 2001.
Humber College Annual Pharmacy Technician Conference, Toronto, March
10-11, 2001.
Safe Medication Workshop sponsored by Orillia Soldier Memorial Hospital,
Orillia, March 30, 2001.
Breaking the Silence: Error in Health Care conference, co-sponsored by
ISMP Canada and The CQI Network, Toronto, April 20-21, 2001.
