Concern about opioid abuse has reached epic proportions in recent months, and healthcare providers have come under increasing pressure to help mitigate the problem. Curbing the tendency to overprescribe pain medications is considered the first, most obvious step, but there are other actions that can also improve patient safety. Nurse leaders at Christiana Care Health System’s Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, for example, have changed discharge practices to dramatically reduce the risk of medication administration errors.
