The use of medicines is the most common intervention in health care. The safe and appropriate use of medicines transforms people’s health for the better.
Medicine safety
However, the use of medicines can also cause problems. PSA landmark report Medicine Safety: Take Care found 250,000 Australians are hospitalised each year and another 400,000 present to emergency departments as a result of medicine problems. At least half of this harm could have been prevented.
PSA’s medicine safety report series reveals the extent and nature of problems with medicine safety in Australia, and highlights opportunities to make meaningful improvements to the safe use of medicines – protecting consumers from harm and improving quality of life.
Supported by PDL
PSA would like to acknowledge the financial support provided by Pharmaceutical Defence Limited (PDL) for PSA’s Medicine Safety series. PDL membership facilitates professional indemnity insurance and risk management advice for most of the Australian pharmacy profession. In these roles, PDL recognises the need to support the profession and set the standards for medicine safety through the development of the Medicine Safety series. PDL encourages all pharmacists to utilise the Medicine Safety resources in their practice and their representation of the profession to the public.
