JCAHO: meeting the standards for patient safety. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.

JCAHO standards have been revamped to focus on patient safety, and medications are an important area of emphasis. A proactive FMEA can identify a nd prevent potential problems in medication systems. Institutions should create or modify policies to require clear, unambiguous communication of medication orders. Patients and families should be taught to question procedures or medications that they do not think they should be receiving. Within a nonpunitive environment, staff should be educated about error-prone processes, high-risk patients, and high-alert medications.