Medication error prevention: profiling one of pharmacy's foremost advocacy efforts for advice on error prevention

Medication errors have become a growing concern with the increase in the number of critically ill patients, in the complexity of drug therapy and in the use of more potent, dangerous drugs. The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a nonprofit organization founded three years ago, is in the forefront of medication error prevention efforts. Working with practitioners, regulatory agencies, healthcare institutions, professional organizations and the pharmaceutical industry, both nationally and internationally, ISMP provides timely and accurate medication safety information through its educational programs, site-reviews, and ongoing publications. This article reviews the work of ISMP and offers recommendations for managers to begin error prevention strategies.     

Spatial and temporal variability of contaminants of emerging concern in a drinking water source

The spatial–temporal behaviour of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are not well-documented in drinking water sources, including in Quebec, Canada. In this study, a set of seven contaminants, which are more frequently reported in water sources, were monitored from May 2016 to August 2017 at ten locations within an urbanized watershed (lakes and rivers) in Quebec, Canada. Samples were collected between a wastewater plant discharge (upstream) and the intake of a drinking water plant (downstream). The results showed that three (acetaminophen, salicylic acid, caffeine) out of seven CECs were consistently detected at a range of up to a few hundred ng L⁻¹ at all sampling stations throughout the sampling period with a detection frequency between 51% and 94%. Upstream of two wastewater plant discharge locations, six CECs were measured above the detection limit compared to other locations where only three CECs (acetaminophen, salicylic acid, caffeine) were detected. Most of the CEC concentrations were higher (a few ng L⁻¹) during late winter in comparison with the summer, in both years 2016 and 2017. The results highlight that the wastewater effluents and septic system effluents are significant sources of CECs that are released into the surface water. Moreover, the results help to identify the spatio-temporal patterns, which is a crucial element to understand the fate of CECs in water sources submitted to extreme weather conditions during the year. This research also provides baseline data for CEC occurrence at different points across lakes, rivers, and tributaries which will be useful for future ecotoxicological studies.

The spatial–temporal behaviour of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) are not well-documented in drinking water sources, including in Quebec, Canada.     

An exploratory analysis of the notable activities of U.S. child death review teams

Child death review teams (CDRTs) focus on the prevention of child deaths, but a comprehensive understanding of their activities is lacking. This exploratory study addressed this gap through a qualitative analysis of reported CDRT activities using the “spectrum of prevention” framework. We collected state-level CDRT reports published 2006–2015, recorded their activities (n?=?193), and coded them using the “spectrum of prevention” framework. The highest percentage (64.2%) of activities was categorized under “fostering coalitions and networks.” We recommend that CDRTs increase their reporting of activities so others can better understand their potential impact on preventing child deaths.