2005 Edition Report on Drug Administration Procedure & Practices ...

TERMS OF REFERENCE1.2 To identify gaps between the recommended procedures and actual practices and torecommend guidelines for improvement.1.3 To review and update the <strong>Report</strong> on Drug Administration Procedures and Practices inPublic Hospitals.OBJECTIVES1.4 The following objectives were laid down to guide the deliberation of the Working Group:(a) Patient SafetyThe Working Group regards patient safety as the single most important objective in theentire process of drug administration. The latter is composed of the prescribing, dispensingand administration processes. It requires that a continuous effort is made by all the threeprofessional groups, namely doctors, nurses and pharmacists and this must be coordinated.Procedural guidelines should be drawn up and enforced to maximize patient safety, facilitiesand equipment must be optimized to minimize medication error.(b) Professional StandardsIn an endeavour to devise policies to optimize patient safety, the Working Group acceptsthat there are professional standards relevant to the medical, pharmacy and nursing gradesthat should be considered. Taking into account their different roles, these professionalstandards must be coordinated and incorporated into procedures and practices, so thatmedical, pharmacy and nursing staff can discharge their duties smoothly and effectively.(c) Optimizing the Utilization of ResourcesConsiderations must also be given to optimize the systems used for drug administrationprocedure within the institutions. Procedures must be streamlined to utilize better theresources available, whether it be manpower, drugs or facilities.8