3. Sound-alike, look-alike drugs
Some facilities don't think they have sound-
alike/look-alike drugs, but my experience has
shown that most do. The Institute for Safe
Medication Practices (ISMP) has a huge list of
these drugs. I recommend looking at that list
and comparing it with a list of drugs in your
facility. You can place brightly colored stickers
on the drugs that show up in both lists or phys-
ically separate the drugs that look or sound
alike. People are often in a hurry and you just
want to help them in their timeliness, while
also taking out the variables that can lead to
patient harm.
Here are some other tips to keep your
sound-alike/look-alike drugs straight during
every stage of the patient care process:
• Highlight the sound-alike/look-alike drugs
with a yellow marker when they are stored.
• When brand names sound alike or look
alike, order the medication by both the brand
name and its generic name.
• Always print or type the names of medica-
tions. Use preprinted labels if you can.
• Include why the drug was prescribed in
the EMR so the nurse can determine the pur-
pose of the medication before administration.
In most cases, the drugs that sound alike or
A P R I L 2 0 1 8 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 7 1
Surgical Suite
Solutions
Infusion Pump Support
t3FGVSCJTIFE1VNQT
t/FX3FQMBDFNFOU1BSUT
t'MBU3BUF3FQBJST
PowerMATE®
t$.48BJWFS$PNQMJBOU
t6-"3FHJTUFSFE
t-PDLJOH*71PMF.PVOU
t"NQ.PEFMT
4QFDJBM1VSQPTF3FMPDBUBCMF
1PXFS5BQT
888.656.0755
www.aiv-inc.com
615E
