Medication Safety Tips from APMS
NHPA is proud to partner with the Alliance for Patient Medication Safety (APMS) PSO, which provides thousands of independent, chain, and compounding pharmacies with a simple, effective, and affordable continuous quality improvement program. Through its tools and services, APMS helps pharmacies report and analyze patient safety events, implement corrective training, reduce risk, and improve patient care.
June 2026
Safety Tip: Technology Workarounds
Workarounds often introduce hidden risk.
Examples include:
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bypassing barcode scanning
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overriding alerts without review
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using manual processes instead of system safeguards
Identify and address why workarounds occur, not just the behavior itself.
May 2026
Safety Tip: Allergy Documentation and Verification
Incomplete or outdated allergy information contributes to preventable harm.
Verify allergies at every patient encounter.
Document reaction type, not just "allergy".
Distinguish side effects from true allergies.
Does your system support meaningful clinical decision-making?
April 2026
Safety Tip: High-Alert Medication Storage
Improper storage increases the risk of selection errors.
Risk reduction strategies:
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segregating high-alert medications (e.g., insulin, opioids, anticoagulants)
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using auxiliary warnings and shelf markers
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limiting access where appropriate
Review whether storage practices match the level of risk.
March 2026
Safety Tip: Independent Double Checks in Compounding
Independent verification reduces the risk of compounding errors.
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Ensure the second check is truly independent (no prompting).
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Verify calculations, ingredients, and measurements.
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Document completion of each check.
Avoid “check-the-box” behaviors that reduce effectiveness.
For more information, or to get your Medication Safety and Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) program started, visit the APMS site at www.medicationsafety.org or give APMS a call at (866)365-7472.