Rationale
Reporting of, and learning from, medicines‑related patient safety incidents can be more effective when the people who are prescribed medicines are encouraged and empowered to report incidents. People can be told about identifying and reporting medicines‑related patient safety incidents when a prescription is written or dispensed, or when medication is reviewed. Patient involvement can increase the number of incidents reported through better identification, and can aid learning by health and social care practitioners and organisations responsible for medicines optimisation.
Quality measures
The following measures can be used to assess the quality of care or service provision specified in the statement. They are examples of how the statement can be measured, and can be adapted and used flexibly.
Structure
a) Evidence of arrangements to ensure that people who are prescribed medicines have an explanation of how to identify medicines‑related patient safety incidents.
Data source: Local data collection.
b) Evidence of arrangements to ensure that people who are prescribed medicines have an explanation of how to report medicines‑related patient safety incidents.
Data source: Local data collection.
Process
Proportion of new prescriptions of medicines for which patients are given an explanation on how to identify and report medicines‑related patient safety incidents.
Numerator – the number in the denominator for which patients are given an explanation on how to identify and report medicines‑related patient safety incidents.
Denominator – the number of new prescriptions of medicines.
Data source: Local data collection.
Outcome
Harm attributable to errors in medication.
Data source: Local data collection.
What the quality statement means for different audiences
Service providers (such as primary and secondary care and pharmacy services) ensure that people who are prescribed medicines to have an explanation on how to identify and report medicines‑related patient safety incidents.
Healthcare professionals (such as prescribers and community pharmacists) ensure that they explain to people who are prescribed medicines how to identify and report medicines‑related patient safety incidents. Healthcare professionals can do this when a prescription is written or dispensed, or when medication is reviewed.
Commissioners ensure that they commission services that explain to people who are prescribed medicines how to identify and report medicines‑related patient safety incidents.
People who are prescribed medicines are told what a medicines‑related patient safety incident is, how to identify and report an incident, and who they can ask for help. They can be told this when a prescription is written or dispensed, or when medication is reviewed.
Definitions of terms used in this quality statement
Equality and diversity considerations
Healthcare professionals should recognise that people's ability to understand the issue of medicines‑related patient safety incidents may differ, and take this into account in discussions with the person. Some people may need additional support to understand the information being discussed or to express their concerns about a possible medicines‑related patient safety incident, especially if English is not their first language or if they have communication or sensory difficulties. Healthcare professionals should also take into account that some people may not be able to report an incident online due to lack of access to information technology or because they have insufficient knowledge on how to use it.