Confusion with Warfarin Tablets Alert

In the UK four strengths of warfarin tablets are available. Medication prescribing incidents that have been reported in Northern Ireland include:

1)      5mg tablets confused with 500 micrograms (0.5mg) tablets

2)      pink 5mg tablets confused with brown 1 mg tablets

After a serious adverse event, involving confusion between different strengths of warfarin, a review of warfarin supply in Northern Ireland took place. Following this only 1mg and 3mg blue tablets are supplied. 

Headlines from the 1^st UK National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) Meeting

Here are two anticoagulation safety headlines of note that I picked up from the presentation of the Joint Chief Executive of the NPSA Susan Williams at the 1^st National Patient Safety Conference held in February.

“The largest source of adverse events in primary care comes from anticoagulation”

“Ignoring a safety warning would be deemed as reckless by the UK Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). reckless is on the manslaughter charge criteria list of the CPS” 

See their website http://www.npsa.nhs.uk/

Dawn AC for Primary Care Trusts – Dawn AC PCT

 We have just launched a new product especially for Primary Care Trusts. UK Primary Care Trusts have between 30 to 60 family or general practitioner practices in their management.

Dawn AC PCT is designed for standalone multiple centres with small numbers of patients, but it also has a centralised audit and management capability. It also can provide the basis of shared care between primary and secondary care.

To operate the Dawn AC PCT Management system you are required to have the Dawn AC Enterprise Module with the remote facility to act as a central master system. Individual sites must have at least the Dawn AC Practitioner Module. 

Email or call for more details – sales@4s-dawn.com