Broadcasts.com - "Interview with Matt Grissinger RPh, FISMP, FASCP, Director of Error Reporting Programs at ISMP" (Pharmacist's Voice)

Today\\u2019s episode is an interview with Matt Grissinger, Director of Error Reporting Programs at ISMP, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices. Matt earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy from the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science and is a fellow of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices as well as the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists. He first joined ISMP in 2000 as an ISMP Safe Medication Management Fellow. His responsibilities include working with healthcare practitioners and institutions to provide education about medication errors and their prevention, and reviewing medication errors that have been voluntarily submitted by practitioners to ISMP\\u2019s National Medication Errors Reporting Programs (MERP).\\xa0 See Matt Grissinger\\u2019s full bio on the ISMP website.\\xa0 He has held numerous leadership positions and has contributed to a number of publications.\\xa0 In addition, he\\u2019s an adjunct assistant professor for Temple University School of Pharmacy. \\xa0

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) is the nation\\u2019s first 501c(3) nonprofit organization devoted entirely to preventing medication errors. ISMP is known and respected for its medication safety information. For more than 25 years, it also has served as a vital force for progress. ISMP\\u2019s advocacy work alone has resulted in numerous necessary changes in clinical practice, public policy, and drug labeling and packaging.

Among its many initiatives, ISMP runs the only national voluntary practitioner medication error reporting program, publishes newsletters with real-time error information read and trusted throughout the global healthcare community, and offers a wide range of unique educational programs, tools, and guidelines. In 2020, ISMP formally affiliated with ECRI to create one of the largest healthcare quality and safety entities in the world, and ECRI and the ISMP PSO is a federally certified patient safety organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

As an independent watchdog organization, ISMP receives no advertising revenue and depends entirely on charitable donations, educational grants, newsletter subscriptions, and volunteer efforts to pursue its life-saving work. Visit www.ismp.org and follow @ismp1 to learn more.\\xa0

Highlights from the interview

How does ISMP use its voice?

ISMP is the voice of the medication use process.\\xa0 ISMP looks at and addresses problems with the medication use process. Unless pharmacists and other practitioners speak up and tell ISMP about medication use problems, ISMP doesn\\u2019t know about them.\\xa0 Unsafe conditions, errors, etc. need to be reported, investigated, and shared around the world so others learn why things are going wrong and strategies to prevent harm to patients.\\xa0

ISMP publishes a variety of newsletters, gives presentations (Example: ASHP Midyear in December), provides webinars, and offers in-person consulting at hospitals/outpatient pharmacies to do a proactive risk assessment, which looks at the medication use process to see what needs improvement.\\xa0 Over time and through publications in trade journals, education programs, etc. ISMP has grown their influence.

How did ISMP get started?

Mike Cohen founded ISMP and is the current President.\\xa0 His passion for medication safety began in the 1970\\u2019s, when he shared information about a serious insulin-related adverse event in his workplace with Hospital Pharmacy.\\xa0 The information was shared in story format.

How does ISMP define a medication error? \\xa0

Use the definition created by NCCMERP (National Coordinating Council for Medication Error Reporting and Prevention).\\xa0 Medication errors differ depending on the setting they happen in and how they happen.\\xa0 \\xa0

Who should report medication errors to ISMP? \\xa0

ISMP accepts reports from consumers and any healthcare practitioner. ISMP is a qualitative reporting program, not a quantitative reporting program.\\xa0 The story and the details are important to creating a clear picture of what happened in order to improve processes or develop strategies.\\xa0 People don\\u2019t remember bar graphs, they remember stories.\\xa0 Personal stories are powerful. Matt shared a memorable story about a fentanyl patch and the death of a child. What can we learn from the story? Counseling about proper storage and disposal could have saved the child\\u2019s life.

What are some important features about ISMP\\u2019s website? \\xa0

ISMP\\u2019s website is a wealth of information.\\xa0 Pharmacists, pharmacy students, and other healthcare professionals should access the tools and resources on the website.\\xa0 A good place to start is the self-assessments for pharmacies.\\xa0 The assessments lead to great conversations that improve safety.\\xa0 Discussing the lists (Confused Drug Names, Error-Prone Abbreviations, etc) can also create awareness about medication safety issues. \\xa0

How do pharmacy schools use information from ISMP to inform students?

ISMP provides its newsletter to schools of pharmacy at no cost.\\xa0 Two schools of pharmacy that include classes on medication safety topics are Temple University and Thomas Jefferson University.\\xa0 Matt Grissinger teaches at Temple.\\xa0 Although he is not familiar with the curriculum at all schools of pharmacy, he would like to see pharmacy students learn more about medication safety and safe medication use processes. Students need to understand context in a variety of settings, including the ICU, operating room, med-surg floor, and more.

What is a notable achievement ISMP has made? \\xa0

Being cited/referenced by numerous sources (for example Joint Commission and Medicare) is an achievement. ISMP tries to change organizations, lives, and processes. \\xa0

Does ISMP have any important partnerships?\\xa0

Matt mentioned two: ECRI (also based in Pennsylvania) and ASHP.

Are there any myths about ISMP? \\xa0

Yes.\\xa0 ISMP is not a regulatory body, and they do not receive government funding. \\xa0

What challenges does ISMP face?

Permanent change in healthcare
Affecting change in volume
Uniform safe practices across the board
Sharing knowledge
Standardizing processes
Getting everyone on board

How can pharmacists, pharmacy students, and pharmacy technicians get the most out of ISMP?\\xa0

Read the newsletter subscriptions
Use ISMP\\u2019s self-assessment tools and other tools on the website.
Tell ISMP your stories and workplace concerns. They can lead to change.

Learn about medication errors and why they happen.\\xa0 We need to get our pharmacy leaders to dig for details about what worries their staff about safe medication use practices. \\xa0

Thank you for listening to episode 107 of The Pharmacist\\u2019s Voice \\xae Podcast!\\xa0 Please subscribe or follow on your favorite podcast player.\\xa0