Medication Safety Flashcards

Which organization maintains the National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) error taxonomy?

Answer: NCC MERP itself

NCC MERP is an independent council that maintains its own medication error taxonomy and reporting standards.

A patient receives methotrexate daily instead of weekly. This is an example of which type of medication error?

Answer: Wrong dose frequency error

Administering methotrexate daily instead of the prescribed weekly schedule is a wrong dose frequency (schedule) error.

Which labeling practice helps reduce look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) drug errors?

Answer: Use tall man lettering for differing portions

Tall man lettering highlights differing portions of similar drug names (e.g., hydrOXYzine vs. hydrALAzine) to reduce confusion.

A pharmacy receives a verbal order for 'Celebrex 200 mg.' The technician mishears it as 'Celexa 20 mg.' What type of error is this?

Answer: Sound-alike drug error

Celebrex and Celexa are sound-alike drugs, making this a classic LASA (look-alike/sound-alike) error triggered by verbal communication.

Under USP , what is the beyond-use date (BUD) for a water-containing topical preparation compounded in a non-sterile environment?

Answer: 14 days

USP assigns a maximum 14-day BUD for water-containing topical preparations compounded non-sterile unless stability data supports otherwise.

Which error-prevention strategy involves reading back a verbal prescription to confirm accuracy?

Answer: Closed-loop communication

Closed-loop communication requires the receiver to repeat the order back so the sender can confirm correctness before acting.

Which class of drugs is most commonly associated with high-alert medication errors in outpatient pharmacy settings?

Answer: Anticoagulants

Anticoagulants such as warfarin are among the most common causes of serious medication errors and adverse drug events in outpatient settings.