AdPha marks World Patient Safety Day with Medication Safety article series

Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has marked World Patient Safety Day (17 September) with the release of the fourth edition in its annual Medication Safety article series.

Edited by Medication Safety Editor Linda V. Graudins, each article is authored by a member of the AdPha Medication Safety Leadership Committee and explores approaches to improve medication safety in young patients, which is in line with this year’s World Patient Safety Day theme: ‘safe care for every newborn and child’.

Comprising seven perspectives, issues covered include: oral liquid dosing; off-label prescribing; risks across preconception, pregnancy and breastfeeding; the importance of double-checking; and lived experiences that highlight the value of consumer involvement and research in paediatric care.

“As clinicians we must think about the risk of medication harm in our smallest patients — even when they are just a ‘twinkle’ — because preventable errors in medicines use can leave permanent scars,” said Toni Howell FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MedSafety), AdPha Medication Safety Leadership Committee Chair.

“On World Patient Safety Day, we commit to ‘Patient safety from the start!’ because newborns and young children are more susceptible to harm if care isn’t specifically adapted to their age, size, health condition and context,” Howell added. “This series highlights the important role pharmacists and pharmacy technicians play in safe paediatric care.”

Articles in the 2025 Medication Safety series are:

1. ‘Medication safety from the start, even before birth’ by Lisa Robertson, FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MedSafety)
2. ‘Learning from clinical trials: safe medication use and improving health literacy’ by Nam-Anh Nguyen FANZCAP (MedSafety, MedsMgmt)
3. ‘Using off-label medications safely in children’ by Linda V. Graudins FANZCAP (MedSafety), Editor
4. ‘Strengthening safety through safe packaging’ by Claire Fitzgerald FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MedSafety)
5. ‘Safe use of oral liquid medications’ by Kerry Fitzsimons FAdPha
6. ‘Independent double-checking in paediatrics: safety strategy or false sense of security?’ by Wendy Ewing FANZCAP (MedSafety)
7. ‘Time to engage with children and parents for medication safety’ by Toni Howell FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt, MedSafety), Chair

The 2025 Medication Safety article series can be accessed here, via the AdPha website.

Image credit: iStock.com/SDI Productions