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Sydney Edlund

Staff Review

Approval Status

Description

Determination of the type of medication or other substance event.

Info

To streamline the process of determining the appropriate medication or other substance event type, the Commission, in consultation with practicing pharmacists, has created an algorithmcomprised of a series of questions. In this document, references to “algorithm” mean the full series of questions that are used to determine the appropriate event type.

For ease of use, the questions in this data dictionary appear alphabetically. Some questions may appear more than once in the online form if the participant indicates that more than one medication or substance is involved in the event. Due to the algorithm’s complexity, we are currently developing a comprehensive, easy-to-understand flowchart to help users visualize the series of questions in the order in which they would appear. The flowchart is coming soon!

To apply a single event type to each adverse event report, the algorithm organizes event types in a hierarchy in the Commission’s. This hierarchy helps to reduce the time needed to complete a report by limiting the number of questions. Table 1 provides an overview of the event type hierarchy used by the algorithm.

On-Screen Instructions

Include Page
Check all that apply Automatically assigned excerptCheck all that apply excerpt
Please submit “Incorrect patient” as “Incorrect medication or substance.”
Automatically assigned excerpt

Field Type

Include Page
Checkbox Automatically assigned excerptCheckbox
Automatically assigned excerpt

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Responses

Table of Contents
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excludeDescription|On-Screen Instructions|Field Type|Responses|Response Codes|OPSC Staff Notes|History|Guide for Use|Additional Support

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Incorrect

Adverse_

medication

reaction

Incorrect

Adverse_

medicationIncorrect medication or substance

reaction
Adverse reaction not due to allergy or known contraindication

Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance (at normal dosage during normal use) for which an adverse reaction occurred that was not ordered for him or her, or was intended for another patient.

Includes

  • Medications intended for another patient; medication or other substance that was not ordered for patient

Excludes

  • Wrong graft tissue (submit as a “Surgical or other invasive procedure” event)

  • Medication not appropriate to the patient’s clinical situation (e.g., giving a patient with a drug resistant infection a drug in the family to which the infection is resistant) (submit as “Medication or other

    due to an allergy or known contraindication.

    Includes

    • Anticholinergic reaction syndrome as a result of medication administration

    • Severe hypotensive event as a result of medication administration

    • Metabolic reactions

    • Other reactions that cannot be classified as an allergic reaction

    Excludes

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    Anchor
    Allergic_reaction
    Allergic_reaction
    Allergic reaction due to unknown allergy

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance for which an unanticipated allergic reaction occurred either in the facility or at home and reported to facility.

    Includes

    • An inappropriate immune response, such as a rash or hives, as a result of medication administration

    • Anaphylaxis as a result of medication administration

    Excludes

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    Anchor

    Incorrect

    Brand_

    patient

    substitution

    Incorrect

    Brand_

    patient

    substitution

    Incorrect patient[definition]

    Brand substitution

    Patient death or serious injury associated with a brand substitution.

    Includes

    Excludes

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    Anchor

    Incorrect

    Drug_

    route

    interaction

    Incorrect_routeIncorrect route

    Drug_interaction
    Drug interaction

    Patient death or serious injury associated with an unanticipated drug interaction.

    Includes

    • Ordered medications interacting with recreational drugs

    Excludes

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    Expired
    Expired
    Expired medication or other substance

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance through the incorrect route of administrationwhose expiration date has passed.

    Includes

    • Injection of medication or substance given instead of medication or substance being used for irrigation

    • Giving IM dose titrated through IV

    • Suspension medication given through PICC instead of PEG

    • Giving a suppository instead of tablet

    • Giving a patch instead of an IV

    Excludes

    • Giving medications or other substances whose expiration date has passed

    Excludes

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    Generic_substitution
    Generic_substitution
    Generic substitution

    Patient death or serious injury associated with a generic substitution

    Includes

    Excludes

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    Incorrect_

    dosage_form

    directions
    Incorrect_

    dosage_form

    directions
    Incorrect

    dosage form

    directions

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance in the incorrect dosage formpatient receiving incorrect directions for taking or applying medications.

    Includes

    • Sustained release instead of immediate release; giving tablet instead of liquid form

    Excludes

    • Directions that correspond to the written prescription if the directions are incorrect

    • Medications taken according to incorrect directions (i.e. directions to cut extended release tablet, or swallow chewable tablet)

    Excludes

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    Incorrect_dosage_

    strength

    form
    Incorrect_dosage_

    strength

    form
    Incorrect

    strength

    dosage form

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance in the incorrect strength/concentrationdosage form.

    Includes

    • Concentrations that are too high or  too low

    • Patient is given an “unmixed” antibiotic that was supposed to mixed with another substance

    • Patches applied that are the wrong concentration (e.g., Fentanyl patch 25mgm instead of 50mgm)Sustained release instead of immediate release; giving tablet instead of liquid form

    Excludes

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    Anchor
    Incorrect_dose
    Incorrect_dose
    Incorrect dose

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance in the incorrect dose (i.e., too much or too little).

    Includes

    • Giving too much or too little of a medication or other substance at once

    • Overdose

    • Underdose

    • Extra dose

    • An error in compounding, mixing, etc. may result in incorrect dose

    Excludes

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    Anchor
    Incorrect_medication
    Incorrect_medication
    Incorrect medication or substance

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance that was not ordered for them, or was intended for another patient.

    Includes

    • Medication or other substance that was not ordered for patient

    • An error in compounding, mixing, etc. may result in giving an incorrect medication or substance

    Excludes

    • Medications intended for another patient (select “Incorrect patient”)

    • Medication not appropriate to the patient’s clinical situation (e.g., giving a patient with a drug resistant infection a drug in the family to which the infection is resistant) (select “Medication or other substance contraindicated”)

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    Labeling
    Labeling
    Incorrect or incomplete labeling

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance with incorrect or incomplete labeling.

    Includes

    Excludes

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    ExpiredExpired medication or other substance

    Anchor

    Expired

    Incorrect_patient
    Incorrect_patient
    Incorrect patient

    Patient death or serious injury associated with medication being given to the wrong patient.

    Includes

    • Prescription, over-the-counter, compounded preparations

    Excludes

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    Anchor
    Incorrect_quantity
    Incorrect_quantity
    Incorrect quantity, amount or size

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance in the incorrect quantity, amount or size

    Includes

    • Giving 100 instead of 10 oxycontin

    Excludes

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    Anchor
    Incorrect_route
    Incorrect_route
    Incorrect route

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance whose expiration date has passedthrough the incorrect route of administration.

    Includes

    • Giving medications or other substances whose expiration date has passedUsing expired bone matrix admixture in a procedurea suppository instead of tablet

    Excludes

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    Labeling

    Anchor

    Labeling

    Incorrect_strength
    Incorrect_strength
    Incorrect

    /incomplete labeling

    strength

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance with incorrect or incomplete labelingin the incorrect strength/concentration.

    Includes

    • Medication hung and infused but not labeled or documented

    Excludes

    • Mislabeled blood products (submit as “Blood or blood product”)Concentrations that are too high or  too low

    • Patient is given an “unmixed” antibiotic that was supposed to mixed with another substance

    • Patches applied that are the wrong concentration (e.g., Fentanyl patch 25mgm instead of 50mgm)

    • An error in compounding, mixing, etc. may result in incorrect strength or concentration

    Excludes

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    Anchor
    Contraindicated
    Contraindicated
    Medication or other substance contraindicated (includes documented allergies and sensitivities)

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance they should not have been given for a known, documented reason.

    Includes

    • Patient given a medication or other substance, or a prescription for a medication or other substance, they should not have been given for a documented reason regardless of result

    • Drug-drug contraindication

    • Drug-food contraindication

    • Drug-disease contraindication

    • Drug-clinical condition contraindication

    • Drug procedure contraindication

    Excludes

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    Omitted
    Omitted
    Medication or other substance omitted

    Patient death or serious injury associated with not being given a medication or other substance that they should have received.

    Includes

    • Prescribed medication not given for any reason, including incomplete medication reconciliation at intake or discharge and failure to process/enter medication reconciliation form

    • Giving epidural medication through a disconnected line; ordering a medication late that is not administered to the patient

    Excludes

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    Anchor

    Allergic

    Taken_

    reaction

    incorrectly

    Allergic

    Taken_

    reactionAllergic reaction due to unknown allergy

    incorrectly
    Medication taken incorrectly

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance for which an unanticipated allergic reaction occurred either in the facility or at home and reported to facility post-discharge.

    Includes

    • An inappropriate immune response, such as a rash or hives, as a result of medication administration

    • Anaphylaxis as a result of medication administration

    Excludes

    Allergic reactions due to documented allergies (choose “Medication or substance contraindicated

    being incorrectly taken by the patient

    Includes

    • Incorrect patient/family action (e.g., self-administration error)

    • Directions that were accurate, but misunderstood or forgotten by patient

    Excludes

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    Anchor

    Adverse

    Counseling_

    reaction

    omitted

    Adverse

    Counseling_

    reactionAdverse reaction not due to allergy or known contraindication

    omitted
    Patient counseling omitted

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance (at normal dosage during normal use) for which an adverse reaction occurred that was not due to an allergy or known contraindication.

    Includes

    • Anticholinergic reaction syndrome as a result of medication administration

    • Severe hypotensive event as a result of medication administration

    • Metabolic reactions

    • Other reactions that cannot be classified as an allergic reaction

    Excludes

    Return to top

    AnchorDrug_interactionDrug_interactionDrug interaction

    Patient death or serious injury associated with an unanticipated drug interaction.

    Includes

    • Ordered medications in hospital interacting with recreational drugs

    Excludes

    • Drug interactions due to contraindications

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    AnchorOversedationOversedationOversedation

    Patient death or serious injury associated with one or more medications that result in a level of sedation greater than the desired therapeutic level of sedation.

    Includes

    • Oversedation associated with medications after the patient has left the PACU

    Excludes

    • Oversedation associated with anesthesia during the operative period and prior to discharge from the PACU (submit as “Anesthesia”)

    Return to top

    Incorrect directions

    text

    Includes

    Excludes

    Patient counseling omitted

    text

    Includes

    Excludes

    Incorrect quantity, amount or size

    text

    Includes

    Excludes

    Medication taken incorrectly

    text

    Includes

    Excludes

    Generic substitution

    text

    Includes

    Excludes

    Brand substitution

    text

    Includes

    Excludes

    not providing counseling during a patient encounter.

    Includes

    • Failure to warn of serious side effects requiring immediate notification of a health care professional

    Excludes

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    Anchor
    Other
    Other
    Other (please describe)

    Patient death or serious injury associated with being given a medication or other substance not otherwise included in the above categories.

    Includes

    • Placing epidural needle in subarachnoid space instead of epidural space

    • Patient non-compliant with medication discontinuation instructions prior to surgery

    • Incorrect Incorrect hard copy of prescription sent home with patientTranscription error on discharge medication schedule

    • Incorrect preparation, including inappropriate cutting of tablets, error in compounding, mixing, etc.

    • Contaminated medications

    Excludes

    • Incorrect patient/family action (e.g. self-administration error)

    Excludes

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    Guide for Use

    • In keeping with NQF, hypoglycemia is considered a harm resulting from a medication event.

    How do I classify my medication-related adverse event?

    Adverse events involving medication have several possible classifications. If the patient has a known, documented allergy or sensitivity, the event is Medication or substance contraindicated. If the patient has an allergic reaction but no known, documented allergy or sensitivity, the event is an Allergic reaction due to unknown allergy. If the patient has a reaction other than an allergic reaction and no known, documented allergy or sensitivity, the event is an Adverse reaction not due to allergy or known contraindication. Please note: Medication or substance contraindicated can also refer to clinical contraindications (e.g., pregnancy is a contraindication for the administration of tetracycline).

    • Example A) Patient with known penicillin allergy given dicloxacillin suffers no reaction
      Medication or substance contraindicated

    • Example B) Patient with no known allergies given a medication and suffers hives and mild throat swelling
      Allergic reaction due to unknown allergy

    • Example C) Patient with no known allergies given a medication and has a severe hypotensive event
      Adverse reaction not due to allergy or known contraindication

    History

    Start Date

    Summer 2013

    End Date

    n/a

    Change History

    n/a