Title: Assist with data collection and analysis for quality assurance and for patient safety activities.
Course: Pharmacy Technician II (14152-II) > Section: Assisting the Pharmacist in Serving Patients

Assistance should include methods used to increase patient safety by decreasing drug misadventures through detecting, reporting, analyzing, and correcting errors. Methods should include

- double-checking one's own work
- having another pharmacy technician double-check work
- having a pharmacist double-check work
- investigating situations where a drug misadventure is common, such as missing doses; extra doses; look-alike, sound-alike drugs (LASA)
- reporting and correcting errors, as needed
- analyzing the role of safety organizations in the prevention of errors
- defining
  - Institute for Safe Medical Practices (ISMP) (https://www.ismp.org/)
  - The Joint Commission (https://www.jointcommission.org/)
  - MedWatch (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medwatch-fda-safety-information-and-adverse-event-reporting-program)
  - black box warning
  - contraindications
  - off-label use
  - National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention (NCC MERP) (https://www.nccmerp.org/)
  - Institute of Medicine (IOM)
  - Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) (https://www.fda.gov/drugs/drug-safety-and-availability/risk-evaluation-and-mitigation-strategies-rems)

See PTCB 4.1, 4.3, 4.6, 5.1, 5.3, 5.4 (https://www.ptcb.org/lib24watch/files/pdf/169).

See ASHP 3.13 (https://www.ashp.org/-/media/assets/professional-development/technician-program-accreditation/docs/ashp-acpe-pharmacy-technician-accreditation-standard-2018.ashx?la=en&hash=36EAA6511105A6C6BFEA4F30E193892F19E2C385).

Process/Skill Questions:

- What are the characteristics of an effective pharmacy department's approach to preventing medication misadventures?
- What roles do automation and information technology play in preventing drug misadventures?
- What are the basic features of some common programs for reporting medication misadventures?
- What are LASA drugs?
- What systems can be implemented to avoid misadventures due to LASA?