ASHP and ISMP Launch Medication Safety Certificate Program

BETHESDA, Md., and HORSHAM, Pa. — ASHP and the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) have created the Medication Safety Certificate Program to equip pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physicians, and nurses with the skills to improve the safety of medication use in numerous practice settings.

Available now, the self-guided, online continuing education program is comprised of 16 modules that highlight the fundamental concepts required for risk identification, medical error investigation, risk reduction, and general actions required to sustain safe medication practices.

“ASHP’s collaboration with ISMP resulted in a remarkable program for improving medication safety that can be used by a broad spectrum of healthcare professionals,” said ASHP CEO Paul W. Abramowitz, Pharm.D., Sc.D. (Hon.), FASHP. “Improving medication safety is an interprofessional effort, and this certificate program gives pharmacists, physicians, nurses, and others the vital tools they need to provide better patient care.”

The Medication Safety Certificate Program covers the fundamental principles of the medication use process and medication safety culture. The course also presents strategies for identifying and implementing opportunities for medication safety improvements.

“Healthcare professionals need an in-depth understanding of the system-based causes of errors in order to meet today’s medication safety challenges,” said ISMP Executive Vice President Allen J. Vaida, Pharm.D., FASHP. “Incorporating current strategies and concepts such as Just Culture and Human Factors Engineering into clinical practice can help manage risk and prevent adverse drug events.”

The program is an addition to the ASHP Professional Certificate product line and ISMP’s Medication Safety Intensive (MSI) workshops. The activity meets the criteria of the Certification Board for Professionals in Patient Safety for Certified Professionals in Patient Safety continuing education hours.

All modules offer continuing education credits from the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, and the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The Medication Safety Certificate Program includes the following 16 modules:

• Scope and Background of Medication Safety
• Setting the Medication Safety Agenda
• Leading and Managing Change
• Strategies and Tools to Implement Change
• The Impact of Culture on Safety
• Establishing a Just Culture
• Managing Systems and Behaviors in a Just Culture
• Implementing and Measuring a Just Culture
• Human Factors Engineering
• Reactive Identification of Medication Risk
• Proactive Identification of Medication Risk
• Investigation and Analysis of Medication Errors
• Reducing Risk of System-Based Causes of Error
• Risk Reduction Strategies and Implementing Improvements
• The Intersection Between Medication Safety and Technology: Review and Analysis of the Medication Management Process
• Pulling It All Together to Successfully Implement and Sustain Safe Medication Practices

To earn a Medication Safety Certificate, participants must finish all of the modules in the program and successfully complete a case study analysis demonstrating skills learned and competence gained through the program.

For more information about the Medication Safety Certificate Program, visit Professional Certificate Programs on ASHP.org.