Our medication safety monitoring programme aims to examine and positively influence the use of evidence-based practice in this area in public acute hospitals.
Under our programme, which started in November 2016, we monitor medication safety against the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare.
Our Guide to the Health Information and Quality Authority’s Medication Safety Monitoring Programme in Public Acute Hospitals outlines the requirements for hospitals under phase one of the inspection programme.
Ten inspection reports on medication safety in public acute hospitals were published during May, June and July 2017. These reports relate to inspections in:
- Galway University Hospitals
- Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin
- Tallaght Hospital, Dublin
- University Hospital Limerick
- National Maternity Hospital, Dublin
- Regional Hospital Mullingar
- St Vincent’s University Hospital
- Midland Regional Hospital at Tullamore
- Rotunda Hospital, Dublin
- St Michael’s Hospital, Dun Laoghaire, Dublin.
In general, HIQA found varying medication safety practices in all 10 hospitals.
For example, inspectors found that medication safety was prioritised at organisational level and supported by senior management and staff in the majority of the hospitals inspected. This had a positive effect on the systems, processes and practices that were in place to support medication safety.
However, we also found opportunities for learning and improvement in each of the 10 hospitals inspected. For instance, HIQA found that a multidisciplinary approach was needed to counter possible under-reporting of medication-related incidents and near misses to maximise overall learning in several of the hospitals inspected.