Related sites Clinical Excellence Commission NSW Therapeutic Advisory Group

Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) Indicators Initiative (II)

Page contents: Rationale and background | Implementation update | Tools | Database

Rationale and background

Safe and appropriate use of medicines is critical to ensuring patient safety in hospitals.

The QUM II incorporates three tools to help with measuring QUM systems.

1. Medication safety self assessment for Australian hospitals (MSSA)
2. Medication safety self assessment for antithrombotic therapy in Australian hospitals (MSSA-AT)
3. Indicators for Quality Use of Medicines in Australian Hospitals

The MSSA tools focus on safe structures and processes, whereas the indicators focus more specifically on measuring the outcomes of those processes.

The tools may used to:

• provide an objective measure of the gaps in medication safety systems that can be used to monitor performance and drive quality improvements
• provide an indication of areas of practice that require further research to improve medication safety
• assist in identifying priorities to optimise efficient use of resources
• assist in reducing adverse medication incidents thereby leading to improved patient safety
• increase awareness of quality use of medicines issues.

The MSSA tools were originally developed by the Institute of Safe Medication Practice (ISMP) in the United States and have been adapted for use in Australia by the New South Wales Therapeutic Advisory Group (NSW TAG), with support from the NSW Clinical Excellence Commission (CEC) with permission from the ISMP (copyright is retained by the ISMP).

The indicators for QUM were developed independently of the MSSA tools, in Australia by the NSW TAG with support from the CEC (copyright is retained by NSW TAG).

Background

The QUM II originated from the PIMS project developed in NSW. For more information see the NSW Therapeutic Advisory Group website.

Implementation

Workshops to support the implementation of QUM II were conducted in rural regional and metropolitan Victoria between 19 November 2007 and 3 December 2007.

Tools

Medication Safety Self Assessment

Medication Safety Self Assessment – antithrombotics

Indicators for Quality Use of Medicines in Australian hospitals

QUM II project plan template (60kb, MS Word)

Poster template (92kb, MS Word)

QUM II workshop presentations

Quality Use of Medicines Indicator Initiative (QUM II) Overview (502kb, pdf)

QUM VMAC implementation recommendations (159kb, pdf)

Medication safety self assessment (248kb, pdf)

Medication safety self assessment for antithrombotic therapy in Australian Hospitals (MSSA- AT) (239kb, pdf)

Indicators for Quality Use of Medicines in Australian hospitals (166kb, pdf)

Project planning activities (30kb, pdf)

QUM II data submission (1mb, pdf)

QUM indicators - Bayside Experience (61kb, pdf)

Barwon Health - our experiences in QUM implementation (171kb, pdf)

Database

To enter your results from the MSSA, see the Medication Safety Self Assessment® for Australian Hospitals website.

To enter your results from the MSSA-AT, see the Clinical Excellence Commission website.

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