Ch 14 Keyterms

Addiction – Compulsive and uncontrollable use of a drug substance for reasons other than prescribed.

Adverse drug error – Occurs when the prescriber drug initiates an allergy or an adverse drug interaction flag that was missed.

Adverse drug reaction (ADR) – A negative consequence to a patient from taking a particular drug, due to the nature of the drug itself or for certain vulnerable populations.

Alert fatigue – When the technician and/or the pharmacist starts to have a relaxed attitude and bypasses drug utilization warnings.

Capture error – An error that occurs when focus on a task is diverted elsewhere and, therefore, the error goes undetected.

Contaminated product error – When aseptic technique is not followed in compounding, and the drug is no longer sterile and causes a microorganism infection.

Distraction error – Occurs when a technician or pharmacist is interrupted in the middle of a filling process and forgets a portion of key information or train of thought, and some information or a safety decision gets missed.

Documentation error – When essential information is not properly noted, such as a prescription, allergy, patient request, or other information in the medication profile, or not properly processing insurance or billing.

Drug seeker – A patient who is dependent on or addicted to drugs, who may receive prescriptions for the same or similar controlled drug from several physicians and pharmacies.

Drug tolerance – When the body adapts to a drug so that higher doses are needed to produce the same pharmacological effect.

Extra dose error – An error in which more doses are received by a patient than were prescribed by the physician.

Fear error – Occurs when a technician fears the consequences of speaking up and asking the pharmacist or the prescriber to double-check an element of the prescription.

Human failure – An error generated by failure that occurs at an individual level.

Incomplete information error – Occurs when full information is not available because the patient was not asked sufficient or proper questions, or the answers were somehow not recorded in the profile, or the patient withheld information deliberately or by accident of memory.

Incorrect assumption error – Occurs when an essential piece of information cannot be verified, and an assumption is made.

iPledge program – A specific risk assessment program for isotretinoin, which can cause a high incidence of birth defects if not properly monitored.

MedGuide – Printed information in which the FDA communicates side effects, adverse reactions, and black-box warnings for high-risk drugs.

Medication education error – When the proper medication education materials and counsel are not passed on to the patient or medication administrator.

Medication error – Any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the healthcare professional, patient, or consumer.

Medication noncompliance – Failure to take medication therapy as the physician instructs; also called med adherence.

MEDMARX – An Internet-based program of the USP for use by hospitals and healthcare systems for documenting, tracking, and identifying trends for adverse events and medication errors.

MedWatch – A voluntary program by the FDA that allows any healthcare professional or consumer to report a serious adverse event associated with the use of any drug, biological device, or dietary supplement.

Mislabeling error – When a medication has incorrect information on it, leading to the wrong use of it, or the wrong patient receiving it.

Omission error – An administration error in which a prescribed dose is not given.

Patient Safety Organization (PSO) – Groups designed to collect and analyze error data from more than one health provider and offer quality improvement counsel.

Pharmacist Recovery Network (PRN) – An organization to provide assistance and treatment for impaired colleagues who seek help without the risk of losing their license or registration.

Physical dependence – Taking a drug continuously so that when the medication is stopped, physical withdrawal symptoms occur.

Psychological dependence – When the patient takes a drug on a regular basis because it produces a sense of well-being that the patient does not want to consider living or being without.

REACT – An acronym for what to do in the case of a robbery.

Right of refusal – The ability of a pharmacist to decline with cause to fill any prescription, especially those for controlled substances.

Risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) – A program designed by the FDA for prescribers, pharmacies, and patients to more closely monitor selected high-risk drugs.

Root-cause analysis – A logical and systematic process used to help identify what, how, and why something happened to prevent recurrence.

Rushed error – Occurs because of the pressure of meeting corporate or self-imposed time constraints and thus not fully checking and double-checking information by the technician and pharmacist.

Selection error – An error that occurs when two or more options exist, and the incorrect option is chosen.

SPEAK UP – An acronym for advice for hospital patients to get the safest, best healthcare, promoted by the Joint Commission and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Tall man lettering – Enhanced lettering on the stock labels of similar-sounding high-risk medications, or other labeling changes to help better differentiate products and dosages and reduce medication errors.

Technical failure – An error generated by failure of equipment.

Wrong amount error – Occurs when a dose is either above or below the correct amount by more than 5%.

Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) – A postmarketing surveillance system operated by the FDA and CDC that collects information on adverse events that occur after immunization.

Vaccine Error Reporting Program (VERP) – A program designed to allow healthcare professionals to report vaccine errors directly to the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP).