Guardian at the Gate: Mastering High-Alert Medication Safety and System-Based Error Prevention (Pharmacist Credit)

Program Description

Medication errors are a leading cause of preventable harm, and a proper approach is to focus on system improvements rather than individual blame. This program will provide a comprehensive understanding of the high-alert medication lists, error-prone abbreviations, and the fundamental principles for identifying root causes of medication errors. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians will gain practical strategies to understand and prevent medication errors through storage and handling of drugs, policies and procedures, and optimizing technologies to mitigate risk.

Target audience: Community Pharmacist, Health System Pharmacist

Type of activity: Application

Release date: March 30, 2026

Expiration date: March 30, 2027

Learner level: Foundational

Time to complete activity: 2.0 hours

Fee: Free

Educational Objectives

At the completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify high-alert medication categories common in both community and institutional settings.
• Analyze the root causes of medication errors pertaining to pharmacy workflow.
• Develop targeted, system-based interventions to prevent high-alert medication errors at various points in the prescription filling process.