Nursing best practices using automated dispensing cabinets: nurses' key role in improving medication safety.

Automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs) are used widely, but safety gaps remain. Nursing-pharmacy collaboration, expert guidance, self-assessment tools, compliance with nursing best practices, and continuing education are essential to optimize the safety and productivity of ADC use.

Getting to the root of medication errors: Survey results.

Nurses have plenty to say about making and reporting medication errors. Compare their experiences with yours and learn how you can improve the medication administration process.

Application of the 80/20 rule in safeguarding the use of high-alert medications.

Critical care units are busy, complicated settings where the margins of error are narrow and the challenges to patient safety are ever present. Applying the 80/20 rule, front-line nurses can reduce medication errors by focusing on the safe use of "high-alert" medications. There are three primary principles that practitioners can use for safeguarding against medication errors that may result from high-alert drugs.