Action Plan on Medication Safety
On behalf of the Federal Quality Commission (EQK), the consortium is developing the National Action Plan on Medication Safety for Switzerland in consultation with the relevant stakeholders.
Factsheet
- Schools involved School of Health Professions
- Institute(s) Nursing
- Research unit(s) Innovation in the Field of Quality in the Health Sector
- Funding organisation Others
- Duration (planned) 01.09.2025 - 31.08.2027
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Head of project
Dr. Silvia Thomann
Dr. Caroline Gurtner-Zürcher -
Partner
Prof. Dr. phil. II Carla Meyer-Massetti, Uni Bern, Institut für Hausarztmedizin BIHAM
Dr. sc. nat. Monika Lutters, Kantonsspital Aarau, Spitalpharmazie
Dr. Stefan Kunz, SUPSI
Dr. Giada Danesi, SUPSI
Prof. Filipa Pereira, HES-SO
Prof. Henk Verloo, HES-SO
Katja Manike, ECOPLAN AG - Keywords Medication Safety, Roadmap
Situation
Medication-related problems are one of the most common adverse events in healthcare. According to the WHO, 1 in 5 patients suffer preventable harm from medication. All settings in healthcare and all steps of the medication process are affected, and accordingly, patients and their relatives are involved alongside the various healthcare professionals. The EQK identified a high need for action in this area also for Switzerland and issued a call for the development of a national action plan for medication safety in Switzerland (further information at https://www.bag.admin.ch/de/eqk-laufende-programme-projekte-und-studien -> National Action Plan for Medication Safety in Switzerland). A consortium consisting of the University of Bern, the Bern Institute for Family Medicine (BIHAM), Aarau Cantonal Hospital, Hospital Pharmacy, and the Bern University of Applied Sciences (BFH), School of Health Professions, was commissioned to conduct the project. The Scuola universitaria professionale della Svizzera italiana (SUPSI), the Haute école spécialisée de la Suisse occidentale (HES-SO), and Ecoplan are participating as subcontractors. Furthermore, the project is supported by an advisory board comprising representatives of the relevant stakeholders. The aim of the project is to develop the National Action Plan on Medication Safety for Switzerland.
Course of action
The approach comprises five work packages: 1. Supplementary literature search (scoping review) based on the “Literature Report 2022” by the Swiss Patient Safety Foundation (SPS) 2. Development of a criteria catalog for identifying and prioritizing areas of action in Switzerland to maintain/improve medication safety using a Delphi method with experts (professional, political decision-makers, personally affected individuals). 3. Identification and prioritization of areas of action in specific settings, including “hot spots,” using an online survey and online workshop with experts. 4. Development of sets of measures for implementation in the 5-6 prioritized action area-setting combinations, including a concrete description of a possible proceeding, the opportunities and risks in participatory workshops with the relevant stakeholders (professional, political decision-makers, personally affected individuals). 5. Development of a multi-year plan (roadmap/action plan) with a sound order of measures based on the findings from previous work packages and in collaboration with the EQK and other stakeholders.
