Establishment of a System for Checking Cancer Chemotherapy Prescriptions

Abstract

A project team composed of doctors, pharmacists and nurses was established as a risk management measure for cancer chemotherapy. The team was based on the Medical Accident Prevention Committee and the whole hospital was represented. Uniform hospital formats for cancer chemotherapy, including regimens, prescriptions exclusively for chemotherapy and chemotherapy files, were then prepared, and doctors became obliged to append a regimen whenever they prescribed a course of cancer chemotherapy. Under the system so established, the regimen is always attached to the prescription and prescribed drugs at the time of all actions including prescription writing, dispensing and administration of medicines and filing of patient clinical records. Through this procedure, it has become possible for any member of hospital staff to check the protocol, dosage, dosing interval and route of administration at any time, resulting not only in a deeper knowledge of cancer chemotherapy in the hospital as a whole but also in the successful establishment of a system for preventing erroneous medical treatment.