New approach to assessment of medication safety in a community hospital.

Use of medications for hospitalized patients is nearly universal, and medication-related injuries are common. Accurate assessment of harm is foundational to development of effective hospital medication safety plans. Using methods nearly identical to those in large national studies, the author examined incidence and typology of medication-related injury. This practice innovation provided a community hospital with its first systematic assessment of medication-related injury. The information gained provided a clearer picture of injury and promoted collaboration.