The Institute for Safe Medication Practices has updated guidelines in an effort to improve how medication information is communicated through EHRs.
The revised “Guidelines for Safe Electronic Communication of Medication Information,” last updated in 2019, reflects challenges with health information technology and aims to reduce medication errors in inpatient and outpatient settings, according to an Aug. 1 news release shared with Becker’s.
The new guidelines include recommendations for expressing drug names clearly, including the use of tall man lettering to help distinguish medications that look alike. In addition, the guidelines recommend improving drug search and selection errors and work to ensure essential information such as dosage route and form remains visible.
The recommendations apply across all types of health IT systems used to manage medications, including EHRs, pharmacy platforms, e-prescribing systems and smart infusion pumps, the release said.
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