Therapeutic errors captured by the New Zealand National Poisons Centre: a retrospective audit.

INTRODUCTION Medication errors are one important cause of harm to patients. Information about medication errors can be obtained from diverse sources, including databases administered by poisons centres as part of their routine operation. AIM The aim of this study was to describe the data regarding therapeutic errors captured by the New Zealand National Poisons Centre (NZNPC).

A new web-based Medication Error Reporting Programme (MERP) to supplement pharmacovigilance in New Zealand--findings from a pilot study in primary care.

Aims: To determine if primary care clinicians would report medication errors using a new web-based system, and to obtain data illustrating the potential of the information collected to improve medication safety.

Method: The New Zealand Pharmacovigilance Centre led the development of the Medication Error Reporting Programme (MERP) which was then piloted over an 8- month period involving 38 general practice and 28 community pharmacy staff. The Pharmacy Defence Association also contributed dispensing error claims.

Detecting medication errors in the New Zealand pharmacovigilance database: a retrospective analysis.

Background: Despite the traditional focus being adverse drug reactions (ADRs), pharmacovigilance centres have recently been identified as a potentially rich and important source of medication error data.

Objective: To identify medication errors in the New Zealand Pharmacovigilance database (Centre for Adverse Reactions Monitoring [CARM]), and to describe the frequency and characteristics of these events.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of the CARM pharmacovigilance database operated by the New Zealand Pharmacovigilance Centre was undertaken for the year 1 January-31 December 2007.

Incidence, preventability, and impact of Adverse Drug Events (ADEs) and potential ADEs in hospitalized children in New Zealand: a prospective observational cohort study.

Adverse drug events (ADEs) are an important problem in all hospitalized patients as these events represent medication-related patient harm. Few epidemiologic data exist regarding ADEs in the pediatric inpatient setting and, in particular, the economic impact of such ADEs upon the healthcare sector. To evaluate the incidence, preventability, and seriousness of ADEs and potential ADEs occurring in hospitalized children and to examine the cost implications of these ADEs.

Pharmacovigilance in New Zealand: the role of the New Zealand Pharmacovigilance Centre in facilitating safer medicines use.

The New Zealand Pharmacovigilance Centre (NZPhvC) is the national centre responsible for monitoring adverse reactions to therapeutic products in New Zealand(NZ). The NZPhvC operates three pharmacovigilance programmes and this article explains how each of these programmes operate, focuses on their strengths and limitations, and looks to the future for medicines safety monitoring in NZ.

The Intensive Vaccines Monitoring Programme (IVMP): an electronic system to monitor vaccine safety in New Zealand.

New Zealand introduced a tailor-made vaccine (MeNZB) for epidemic control of Group B meningococcal disease. The Intensives Vaccine Monitoring Programme (IVMP), which prospectively collected data electronically on a cohort of children receiving vaccinations in sentinel practices across NZ, was developed as part of a national multi-faceted safety strategy. The main aim of the IVMP was to identify the presence of unexpected adverse events occurring with MeNZB vaccination.

Preventable medication-related events in hospitalised children in New Zealand.

Aims: To evaluate the frequency and characteristics of preventable medication-related events in hospitalised children, to determine the yield of several methods for identifying them and to recommend priorities for prevention.

Methods: A prospective observational cohort study was conducted over a 12-week period on the paediatric wards at a university-affiliated urban general hospital in New Zealand. For all admissions of greater than 24 hours, medication-related events were identified using a multifaceted approach and subsequently classified independently by three reviewers (using a standardised reviewer form) by event type, type of error, stage of the medication process, and preventability.

Identification of priorities for medication safety in neonatal intensive care.

Background: Although neonates are reported to be at greater risk of medication error than infants and older children, little is known about the causes and characteristics of error in this patient group. Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA) is a technique used in industry to evaluate system safety and identify potential hazards in advance. The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize potential failures in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) medication use process through application of FMEA.