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Medication safety

Medication incident reports are those which actually caused harm or had the potential to cause harm involving an error in the process of prescribing, dispensing, preparing, administering, monitoring or providing medicines advice.

 

Over 90 per cent of incident reported to the NRLS are associated with no harm or low harm.

 

The most frequently reported types of medication incidents involve:

  • wrong dose

  • omitted or delayed medicines

  • wrong medicine

 

Incident reports concerning side effects of medicines and defective products should be sent to the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

 

 

Use the form below to search for resources on medication safety.

TitleIssue dateType
Minimising Risks of Mismatching Spinal, Epidural and Regional Devices with...28 November 2011Alert
Prevention of harm with alfacalcidol preparations | Signal29 September 2011Signal
The adult patient’s passport to safer use of insulin30 March 2011Alert
Intravenous morphine administration on neonatal units | Signal25 March 2011Signal
Monitoring plasma sodium levels in babies | Signal25 March 2011Signal
Multiple use of single use injectable medicines | Signal25 March 2011Signal
The risk of harm when using intravenous connectors in children and babies |...14 February 2011Signal
The risk of harm from children and neonates entangled in lines | Signals14 February 2011Signal
Safer spinal (intrathecal), epidural and regional devices31 January 2011Alert
Safer ambulatory syringe drivers16 December 2010Alert
Preventing fatalities from medication loading doses25 November 2010Alert
Detecting harm following paracetamol overdose | Signal29 October 2010Signal
Overdose of intravenous paracetamol in infants and children | Signal29 October 2010Signal
Anti-cancer medicines28 October 2010Guidance
Feasibility of confirming drugs administered during anaesthesia12 October 2010Data report
Never Events Annual Report 2009/1008 October 2010Data report
Prevention of over infusion of intravenous fluid* and medicines in neonates26 August 2010Alert
Reducing treatment dose errors with low molecular weight heparins30 July 2010Alert
Safer administration of insulin16 June 2010Alert
Design for patient safety: A guide to the design of electronic infusion devices24 March 2010Guidance
Never Events - Framework: Update for 2010-1124 March 2010Guidance
Wrong strength phenol | Signal26 February 2010Signal
Injectable medicines in theatres | Signal26 February 2010Signal
Reducing harm from omitted and delayed medicines in hospital24 February 2010Alert
Design for patient safety: guidelines for the safe on-screen display of...23 February 2010Guidance
Safer use of intravenous gentamicin for neonates09 February 2010Alert
Vaccine cold storage 21 January 2010Alert
Safer lithium therapy01 December 2009Alert
Pain relief in terminal care in the community | Signal27 November 2009Signal
Vaccine storage | Signal24 September 2009Signal