Road Map to Medication Safety
Glossary of acronyms and definitions
Dose Stacking
EN
Administration of medications before the peak effect of a previous dose has been reached will result in an excessive total drug
effect (over dosage) over time.
A comprehensive list of medications and fluids that are to be delivered using the infusion pump. This library includes any dose,
volume, or rate limitations that are programmed into he software.
Enteral nutrition - A way to provide nutrition through a tube placed in the nose, the stomach, or the small intestine.
Family
Whomever the patient defines/identifies as their family.
“Five Rights” of
medication
administration
Good faith effort
The right patient, the right drug, the right dose, the right route, the right time.
Drug Library
Health Care
Personnel (HCP)
HIT
Independent
double check
Refers to required expectations of staff to obtain a medication list by interviewing patient/family and contacting other sources,
as necessary, to ensure patient’s home medication list is as complete and accurate as possible for purposes of the encounter.
Ideally, patient and/or family are considered primary source. If list cannot be obtained from patient and/or family, or there is
doubt about reliability of the information, at a minimum, one additional source, if available, must be contacted and/or
evaluated. Other sources to be considered may include patient’s retail pharmacy, PTA list, care facility (nursing home, assisted
living, group home, etc.), Sure Scripts, Care Everywhere, etc.)
All persons, paid and unpaid, working in an acute care facility. This term includes, but is not limited to, physicians,
physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, nursing assistants, therapists, technicians, emergency medical service
personnel, dental personnel, pharmacists, laboratory personnel, autopsy personnel, students and trainees, and
contractual personnel. This includes persons not directly involved in patient care (e.g. clerical, housekeeping, and
volunteers).
Heparin induced thrombocytopenia
LMWH
An independent double-check involves two clinicians separately checking (alone and apart from each other, then
comparing results) the five rights of a medication or the infusion settings on an IV pump in accordance with the
physician’s order.
Any practitioner permitted by law and by the organization to provide care and services, without direction or supervision, within
the scope of the practitioner license and consistent with individually assigned clinical responsibilities. (JCAHO)
When standards reference the term “licensed independent practitioner,” this language is not to be construed to limit the
authority of a licensed independent practitioner to delegate tasks to other qualified health care personnel (for example,
physician assistants and advance practice registered nurses) to the extent authorized by state law or a state’s regulatory
mechanism or federal guidelines, and organizational policy. (JCAHO)
Low Molecular Weight Heparin
PCA
Patient controlled analgesia
PCEA
Patient controlled epidural analgesia
PN
Parenteral nutrition - Nutrition supplied intravenously, thus bypassing the patient's digestive tract entirely.
Prescriber
Health care personnel who are licensed to prescribe medications.
Smart Pump
An infusion pump equipped with IV medication error-prevention software that alerts operators when a pump setting is
programmed outside of pre-configured limits.
Total parenteral nutrition - is a way of supplying all the nutritional needs of the body by bypassing the digestive system and
dripping nutrient solution directly into a vein.
Licensed
independent
practitioner (LIP)
TPN
UFH
Unfractionated heparin
Unit Stock
Medications that are not labeled or stored for a specific patient and that are available outside the pharmacy. This would
include medications stored in medication rooms, refrigerators, storage cabinets, and automated dispensing cabinets (ADCs),
for potential administration to various patients. (ISMP)
Anticoagulation Toolkit Topics – CHEST recommendations
Anticoagulation niche therapeutic strategies:
1. For special patient populations, Factor 2 activity is an additional laboratory test used to monitor and adjust
warfarin therapy. (e.g. lupus anticoagulant, argatroban). Need article reference
2. Pharmacogenetic testing is not recommended to guide dosing of warfarin. Need article reference