AIMS: The aims of this study were to determine the recording of drug sensitivities of elderly care home residents, to describe the nature of sensitivities and to identify and describe discrepancies in the documentation of drug sensitivity status in general practices, pharmacies and care homes. METHODS: A random sample of residents within a purposive sample of care homes (nursing and residential) was selected. A clinical pharmacist inspected the GP medical record, the medicines administration record, and the care home record for each resident to identify drug sensitivities and discrepancies between records and to describe the nature of the recorded sensitivities. RESULTS: The records of 121 residents in 31 care homes were studied. Thirty-one (26%) residents had at least one documented drug sensitivity in one of the sources inspected, with 48 sensitivities in total recorded. There was no description of the nature of the sensitivities recorded in 39/48 (81%) cases. The number of sensitivities recorded on the medicines administration record, care home record and the GP record were 3 (6%), 29 (60%) and 35 (73%), respectively. Only two sensitivities were simultaneously recorded on all three records. CONCLUSIONS: It was of concern that over 90% of drug sensitivities were not recorded on the medicines administration record which is the final checking document when administering medication. The reason for this was that the dispensing pharmacy was responsible for generating the medicines administration record; however, drug sensitivity status is seldom shared between the GP and the dispensing pharmacy. Printing sensitivities on prescriptions would help to resolve this.

Knowledge of The Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goals and an effective provider cooperative practice involving communication and teamwork are essential for the delivery of safe and compliant patient care in the surgical setting. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an educational intervention for physicians and nurses designed to increase documentation of compliance with national patient safety standards. As events of noncompliance have impacted patient safety at the hospital where this project was conducted, measures were needed to assess barriers to compliance with standards of practice and to focus educational session plans on identified knowledge-base needs. The goal of this project involved bringing all surgical team members together for educational sessions on safety standards. Pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments of knowledge were administered to study participants. Additionally, random chart documentation audits were conducted before and after the intervention to assess the effectiveness of the education sessions on documentation compliance with the targeted standards. Outcomes of this study included improved knowledge of, and compliance with, national patient safety goals. Results may improve safe patient care at this hospital, reduce costs, and create mutual respect and teamwork, all contributing to the successful achievement of the organization's quality improvement goals.