Medication Safety Issues
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) includes this medication among its list of drug classes (direct thrombin inhibitor) which have a heightened risk of causing significant patient harm when used in error (High-Alert Medications in Acute Care, Community/Ambulatory Care, and Long-Term Care Settings).
The Joint Commission (TJC) requires healthcare organizations that provide anticoagulant therapy to have approved protocols and evidence-based practice guidelines in place to reduce the risk of anticoagulant-associated patient harm. Patients receiving anticoagulants should receive individualized care through a defined process that includes medication selection, dosing (including adjustments for age, renal function, or liver function), drug-drug interactions, drug-food interactions, other applicable risk factors, monitoring, patient and family education, proper administration, reversal of anticoagulation, management of bleeding events, and perioperative management. This does not apply to routine short-term use of anticoagulants for prevention of venous thromboembolism during procedures or hospitalizations (NPSG.03.05.01).
