Anticoagulant Project

T he Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP Canada), with the support of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and in collaboration with the Canadian Healthcare Association, is launching a major key safety initiative on anticoagulants. ISMP has implemented a number of other medication safety projects including the removal of concentrated potassium chloride from patient care areas and the safe handling of narcotic medications in hospitals. These projects have resulted in many process changes implemented by hospitals to improve the safety of medication use systems.

Anticoagulants, specifically the proper use of heparins and warfarin, have been identified as problematic in incident reporting databases in Canada and the USA. Recent data from both ISMP Canada and USP’s MEDMARX reporting programs have shown anticoagulants to lead the list of medication errors causing patient harm. Input from many stakeholders across the country has confirmed our commitment to making anticoagulant drugs the next high-alert medication targeted for attention.

This anticoagulant project is comprised of three components:

1. Knowledge translation of evidence-based in-hospital thromboprophylaxis
2. Promotion of evidence-based prescribing and monitoring of anticoagulants after discharge and
3. Identification of issues related to drug distribution and storage of anticoagulant products

The project is being carried out in collaboration with Dr. William Geerts of Sunnybrook & Women’s College Health Sciences Centre, and Dr. Alan Forster of the Ottawa Health Research Institute.

An important element of this initiative is the completion of a national survey of anticoagulant use in hospitals. The results of this national survey will be used to design optimal interventions for enhanced patient safety within a collaborative framework. A summary of the survey results will be provided to all participants.

Should there be any questions about the survey or a need for clarification for any of the questions, please feel free to contact info@ismpcanada.ca.

Click here to download a hardcopy of the survey.

The base-line survey phase is now over. We thank all participants for their valuable input. Survey findings and recommendations will be made available here in the near future.