Program Summary
Medications are perhaps the most common intervention in health, providing palliative, symptomatic and curative treatment of diseases and conditions, and the opportunity for error in the use and administration process is significant. Thus, management of the six processes of medication (selection and procurement; storage; ordering and transcribing; preparing and dispensing; administration; and monitoring) becomes a vital aspect of patient care and safety and ideally this is an interdisciplinary responsibility shared by physicians, nurses and pharmacists, using a systems approach. There are many significant issues and factors that impact, impede, or intersect with the safe and efficient use of medication through interference with organizational medication processes, occurring across all health care disciplines.
The purpose of the symposium is to examine these issues and explore approaches and strategies to circumvent or eliminate them. In addition, the conference looks toward the future by highlighting trends and discussing how those trends will change the medication management processes; how providers and patients will interact; and how these will ultimately impact patient safety. The conference uses plenary and track sessions and it reinforces the interdisciplinary approach as it gathers experts, thought leaders, and clinicians to present the most current information about trends and issues as well engaging representatives of organizations that are effectively managing these issues for practical demonstrations of successful systems.