gms | German Medical Science

20. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelanwendungsforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie (GAA)

Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelanwendungsforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie

05.12. - 06.12.2013, Düsseldorf

Medication safety curriculum – an essential part of training medical students in patient safety-

Meeting Abstract

  • corresponding author presenting/speaker Rebekka Lenssen - Hospital Pharmacy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany, Aachen, Germany
  • author presenting/speaker Katharina Franzen - Hospital Pharmacy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany, Aachen, Germany
  • author Nicole Hohn - Hospital Pharmacy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany, Aachen, Germany
  • author Dominik Groß - Institute of History, Theory and Ethics in Medicine, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen Medical School, Aachen, Germany
  • author Albrecht Eisert - Hospital Pharmacy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Germany, Aachen, Germany

Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelanwendungsforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie e.V. (GAA). 20. Jahrestagung der Gesellschaft für Arzneimittelanwendungsforschung und Arzneimittelepidemiologie. Düsseldorf, 05.-06.12.2013. Düsseldorf: German Medical Science GMS Publishing House; 2013. Doc13gaa21

doi: 10.3205/13gaa21, urn:nbn:de:0183-13gaa216

Veröffentlicht: 25. November 2013

© 2013 Lenssen et al.
Dieser Artikel ist ein Open Access-Artikel und steht unter den Creative Commons Lizenzbedingungen (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/deed.de). Er darf vervielfältigt, verbreitet und öffentlich zugänglich gemacht werden, vorausgesetzt dass Autor und Quelle genannt werden.


Gliederung

Text

Background: Despite implementation of patient-safety guidelines becomes more common in European countries, education in this field is still underrepresented in medical curricula.

Only 25% of U.S. and Canadian academic medical schools had an explicit curriculum on patient safety [1]. In current literature medication safety educational modules often consist of “safe prescribing” courses. To our knowledge, there is no existing curriculum for “medication safety” in German medical schools including several aspects of medication safety.

To prepare future doctors for their daily practice we have to train both patient safety and medication safety. This seems to be a new challenge.

In this context, we created a new curriculum for medication safety.

In 2010 the Hospital Pharmacy of RWTH Aachen University Hospital started an initiative to teach medical students about medication safety.

Materials and Methods: As a first step four teaching sessions were added to an existing patient safety tutorial module [2]. Due to the fact that participants were particularly interested in medication safety issues, we developed the new educational module.

To set up the new curriculum, we used existing recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO) [3] and the European Network for Patient Safety (EuNetPas) [4].

Relevant aspects of the WHO initiative “High 5’s – action on patient safety” [5] and our own commitment in national efforts for improving patient and medication safety in Germany (German Coalition on Patient Safety) have influenced the concept.

To enhance the education module, the participants were asked to evaluate the seminar. Therefore we used the standard evaluation tool of the institute.

Results: The new educational module imparts several aspects of medication safety. Students should become sensitized for all problems and high-risk situations which could occur through handling of medications. Therefore, they are trained in every step of the medication process starting with diagnosis/ anamneses and ending up with omission. Additionally, “basics in patient safety” are taught. Theoretical aspects are embedded in practical trainings e.g. discussions of paper cases, handling of special application forms, visits in high-risk departments and reflection of own experiences. Team-teaching by pharmacists, physicians, nurses and a medical sociologist underline the aspect of multi-professionalism in the whole seminar.

Eligible participants are medical students, who have initial clinical experience (e.g. medical clerkship, internship) and basic knowledge in pharmacology. Thus, the seminar is open for students from 5th to 10th semester.

The seminar was evaluated by the participants. They were satisfied regarding content, structure and presentation of the teaching concept. Aspects to improve were expanding the practical parts of the lessons and extending the manuscript.

Conclusion: Medication safety as an inevitable part of patient safety is implemented as an elective course at RWTH Aachen University Medical School. In daily practice knowledge in patient safety and medication safety is indispensable. Thus, further effort needs to be done to implement both issues in the fixed curriculum for every medical student.


References

1.
Alper E, Rosenberg EI, O'Brien KE, Fischer M, Durning SJ. Patient safety education at U.S. and Canadian medical schools: results from the 2006 Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine survey. Acad Med. 2009 Dec;84(12):1672-6. DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181bf98a4 Externer Link
2.
Rosentreter M, Groß D, Schäfer G. Pilotprojekt "Patientensicherheit" in der medizinischen Lehre. GMS Z Med Ausbild. 2011;28(1):Doc12. DOI: 10.3205/zma000724 Externer Link
3.
Walton M, Woodward H, Van Staalduinen S, Lemer C, Greaves F, Noble D, Ellis B, Donaldson L, Barraclough B, . Republished paper: The WHO patient safety curriculum guide for medical schools. Postgrad Med J. 2011 Apr;87(1026):317-21. DOI: 10.1136/pgmj.2009.036970rep Externer Link
4.
European Union Network for Patient Safety (EUNetPaS). A General Guide for Education and Training in Patient Safety. 2010. Available from: http://ns208606.ovh.net/~extranet/images/EUNetPaS_Publications/guidelines_final_22.06.2010.pdf. Accessed on 03 Sept 2013 Externer Link
5.
WHO Collaborating Centre on Patient Safety. News Release: The WHO collaborating centre on patient safety (solutions), the world alliance on patient safety and the commonwealth fund, announce action on patient safety (High 5s) initiative. Available from: http://www.who.int/patientsafety/news/High_5_Release.pdf. Accessed on 20 Aug 2013. Externer Link