Storage Of Medicines Research Articles

A comprehensive review of natural fiber reinforced composite and their modern application

The industrial sector heavily depends on materials. According to the Kyoto Protocol, enterprises are becoming more and more interested in obtaining carbon credits through lowering air pollution. Therefore, green composite materials must be used in place of conventional materials to complete the carbon credit. Natural fiber-reinforced composite materials are now widely utilized in contemporary industrial sectors for example sports, automotive, medicine, aerospace, electronics, food packaging, and energy storage where engineered heterogeneity has been developed and utilized to achieve specific engineering functions. Because of its exceptional mix of thermal, mechanical, and dielectric qualities as well as environmental benefits including renewability and biodegradability, natural cellulosic fiber composite materials are becoming more and more popular for a variety of industrial applications. Natural cellulosic fiber-reinforced composite mechanical and thermal properties as well as for natural fibers mechanical properties and thermal properties also interpreted in this article.

Prevalence and Determinants of Household Medication Storage During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Southwest Ethiopia

Most households worldwide keep medicines on hand for various reasons, including emergency use, treatment of acute and chronic diseases, and anticipated future use. Being infected or fear of getting COVID-19 in the current pandemic could increase the storage of drugs at home. Thus, this study aimed to assess the prevalence of household storage of medicines and associated factors in southwest Ethiopia during the COVID-19 outbreak. A cross-sectional household survey was conducted from February 1 to May 30, 2022. Data on the extent of storage, storage conditions, their current status, disposal methods, among others, were collected through structured interviews and observations. The data were entered into EPI info, exported, and analyzed using Statistical Packages for Social Sciences (SPSS). Bivariate followed by multivariate logistic regression was used to identify associated factors. P-value <0.05 was used as a cut-off point to decide statistical significance. The magnitude of household medication storage was 48% (95% CI). Analgesics (28.7%) and antibacterial (21.1%) agents were the most predominant class of drugs stored in the households. The most significant proportion of the home-stored medications (34.7%) was reserved for future use, and 31.8% were for treating current medical conditions. The majority of the respondents (84.1%) had never heard/learned about the safe disposal ways of drugs. The presence of children aged less than 5 years in a household [AOR = 1.90 (1.19, 3.05)] and the existence of chronically sick patients in a household [AOR = 4.3 (2.25, 8.45)] were factors significantly associated with household medication storage. The current study revealed a high prevalence of home medication storage; thus, to lessen or eliminate the negative consequences of storing medications at home, it is necessary to review the medication utilization chain and offer community-based training on proper medication storage and disposal techniques, including establishing take-back programs.

Legal regulation of the economic activities of pharmacies in Ukraine

The scientific article is devoted to the peculiarities of the legal regulation of the economic activity of pharmacies in Ukraine. The legislative and by-laws regulating the circulation of medicinal products have been studied. Scientific works devoted to the legal regulation of pharmaceutical activity have been studied. The peculiarities of the economic activity of pharmacies have been determined. A doctrinal definition of a pharmacy has been proposed as a business entity that carries out the wholesale purchase of medicinal products for retail sale to citizens as end consumers.&#x0D; It is claimed that the retail sale of medicinal products should occur based on a license if the pharmacy complies with the license terms of such activity. Licensing conditions are established for the pharmacy staff and the equipment on the premises for the storage of medicinal products. Requirements are set for the total area of the pharmacy and the size of the sales hall, staff room, and warehouse space. Attention is drawn to the fact that pharmacy employees must comply with the requirements of legislation on the protection of consumer rights. The subject of trade is specific products, that are medicinal products registered in Ukraine. Medicines must have the necessary manufacturer’s documentation. It is essential to prevent trade in falsified medicines. It has been concluded that several conditions characterize the contract for the supply of medicinal products. In particular, regarding the assortment and quantity of medicinal products, that are transferred to the property and the conditions of storage of medicine during transportation.&#x0D; It has been proposed to introduce a number of amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Medicinal Products”. At the legislative level, it is necessary to regulate the legal status of pharmacies and the peculiarities of the retail trade of medicinal products. It has been claimed that a separate section should be established in the Law of Ukraine On Medicinal Products that would regulate the economic activity of pharmacies. In this section, it is necessary to provide norms that would regulate the conditions for the pharmacy establishment. It is necessary to establish requirements for the pharmacy staff, separate premises, and conditions for the storage of medicinal products. Features of the protection of the consumer’s rights of medicinal products should be established in the legislation by separate norms. Special terms of contracts for the supply of medicinal products should be enshrined in the branch legislation on the circulation of medicinal products.

Assessment of the implementation of safe medication practices in Intensive Medicine Units.

To assess the level of implementation of medication safety practices in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and to identify opportunities for improvement. A descriptive multicenter study was carried out. Intensive Care Units. A total of 40 ICUs voluntarily completed the "Medication use-system safety self-assessment for Intensive Care Units" between March and September 2020. The survey comprised 147 items for evaluation grouped into 10 key elements. Calculation was made of the mean scores and mean percentages based on the maximum possible values for the overall survey, for the key elements and for each individual item for evaluation. The mean score of the overall questionnaire among the participating ICUs was 436.8 (49.2% of the maximum possible score). No differences were found according to functional dependence, size of the hospital or type of ICU. The key elements referred to the incorporation of clinical pharmacists in these units, as well as the competence and training of the professionals in safety practices yielded the lowest values (31.2% and 33.2%, respectively). Three other key elements related to accessibility to information about patients and medicines; to the standardization, storage and distribution of medicines; and to the quality and risk management programs, yielded percentages below 50%. Numerous effective safety medication practices have been identified with a low level of implementation in ICUs. This situation must be addressed in order to reduce medication errors in critically ill patients.

Medicine dispensation in the prison system: Is pharmaceutical care assured?

This paper aims to analyze the process of medicine dispensation in prisons. A qualitative study was conducted in seven penitentiaries in Paraíba with 13 health professionals and 43 people deprived of liberty using essential/strategic medicines from February to August 2016. The results were categorized from the perspective of Bardin's content analysis. Three categories emerged: medicine storage location in the prison system, delivery process in the prison system, and health-related responsibilities with pharmaceutical care. We can conclude that the lack of pharmacies, the legal non-compliance regarding the availability of skilled professionals with technical competencies to perform the dispensation, focusing on the quality/safety standards and relevance of the use and storage guidelines associated with the lack of clarity in the definition of health responsibilities of managers from a government authority, are factors that compromise the policy since they increase the investment, but do not ensure pharmaceutical care in the prison system.

Dispensação de medicamentos no sistema prisional: garantia de assistência farmacêutica?

Abstract This paper aims to analyze the process of medicine dispensation in prisons. A qualitative study was conducted in seven penitentiaries in Paraíba with 13 health professionals and 43 people deprived of liberty using essential/strategic medicines from February to August 2016. The results were categorized from the perspective of Bardin’s content analysis. Three categories emerged: medicine storage location in the prison system, delivery process in the prison system, and health-related responsibilities with pharmaceutical care. We can conclude that the lack of pharmacies, the legal non-compliance regarding the availability of skilled professionals with technical competencies to perform the dispensation, focusing on the quality/safety standards and relevance of the use and storage guidelines associated with the lack of clarity in the definition of health responsibilities of managers from a government authority, are factors that compromise the policy since they increase the investment, but do not ensure pharmaceutical care in the prison system.

Quantifying farmers’ preferences for antimicrobial use for livestock diseases in northern Tanzania

Abstract Understanding the choice behaviours of farmers around the treatment of their livestock is critical to counteracting the risks of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emergence. Using varying disease scenarios, we measure the differences in livestock species’ treatment preferences and the effects of context variables (such as grazing patterns, herd size, travel time to agrovet shops, previous disease experience, previous vaccination experience, education level, and income) on the farmers’ treatment choices for infections across three production systems—agro-pastoral, pastoral, and rural smallholder—in northern Tanzania, where reliance on antimicrobial treatment to support the health and productivity of livestock is high. Applying a context-dependent stated choice experiment, we surveyed 1224 respondents. Mixed logit model results show that farmers have higher preferences for professional veterinary services when treating cattle, sheep, and goats, while they prefer to self-treat poultry. Antibiotics sourced from agrovet shops are the medicine of choice, independent of the health condition to treat, whether viral, bacterial, or parasitic. Nearness to agrovet shops, informal education, borrowing and home storage of medicines, and commercial poultry rearing increase the chances of self-treatment. Based on our findings, we propose interventions such as awareness and education campaigns aimed at addressing current practices that pose AMR risks, as well as vaccination and good livestock husbandry practices, capacity building, and provision of diagnostic tools.

EDUKASI OBAT RUSAK DAN KEDALUARSA PADA MASYARAKAT DESA TOSALE, KECAMATAN BANAWA SELATAN, KABUPATEN DONGGALA

Using damaged and expired drugs in the community can be a problem for health. Using medicines that have been damaged or drugs that have expired can be fatal, ranging from poisoning, and disability, to causing death. Many factors can cause damaged and expired drugs, both occurring in health facilities (such as pharmacies, hospitals, health centers, and distributors) or the storage of drug users in this case in the community. People as users of medicinal products sometimes do not know how the physical characteristics and signs of drugs are damaged and medicines that have expired. This community service activity was carried out in the Tosale Village area of ​​Donggala to assist the local community in knowing and recognizing drugs that were damaged or expired. This activity is carried out using lecture and discussion methods around recognizing the characteristics and signs of damaged and expired drugs, how to prevent the occurrence of damaged and expired drugs and how to store medicines to avoid damage. Evaluation of activities by giving short questions to participants about the material that has been given to identifying damaged and expired drugs. Active participants who answered correctly were given the appreciation in the form of mementos from the service team. This activity was completed by the target number of participants and the time given by the Tosale Village Head.

Separation of Azeotropic Refrigerant Mixtures Using Ionic Liquids

Refrigeration and air-conditioning systems are widespread throughout modern society, from the refrigerated cold chain that provides fresh foods and storage of medicines to the air conditioning of homes and buildings. Refrigeration is viewed as one of the most transformative engineering achievements of the 20th century and the demand for cooling will continue to increase as economic conditions improve and the climate continues to warm; however, refrigerants do come with an environmental cost.In 1987, the Montreal Protocol phased out chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerants because of their high ozone depletion potential (ODP). The replacements, typically mixtures of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), are safe for the Earth's ozone layer, but most have high global warming potentials (GWPs). HFCs account for 7.8% of total global greenhouse gas emissions, with 63% of that from “indirect” emissions (i.e., energy for running the system). As a result, 197 countries signed the Kigali agreement in 2016 to phase out high-GWP HFCs, with the goal of reducing emissions by 80% in the next 20 years. Millions of metric tons (mts) of high-GWP refrigerants will need to be reclaimed, but there are no good methods for separating and recycling the individual components, given that many are azeotropic mixtures.Currently, there is no means of separating azeotropic HFC mixtures, and the refrigerants will ultimately have to be incinerated. The commercial HFC mixture R-410A containing 50 wt.% HFC-32 (GWP = 675) and 50 wt.% HFC-125 (GWP = 3500) is a prime example. The HFC-32 can be reused when separated in new low-GWP products such as R-454B (69 wt% HFC-32 and 31 wt% HFO-1234yf) with a 75% lower GWP than R-410A.Ionic liquids are being developed that can separate azeotropic HFC mixtures based on differences in solubility and used as entrainers in extractive distillation. This presentation will provide experimental data on the solubility of HFCs in ionic liquids that have been measured using gravimetric microbalances and modeling using the Peng-Robinson equation of state. ASPEN Plus simulations will show how a pilot process has been designed that can continuously separate azeotropic refrigerant mixtures such as R-410A.

Management of medical store in a tertiary level public hospital in Dhaka city

Cross-sectional descriptive study at Dhaka Medical College Hospital from January to December 2013. This study evaluated the medical supply chain in a Dhaka public tertiary hospital. Respondents were hospital shop employees who kept data on medicine procurement, storage, and distribution. 51-59-year-olds made up 36.6% of respondents. 68.3% of the store's workforce were pharmacists. 82.9% of respondents have a diploma or degree. 70% of personnel lacked retail management training. The investigated store had no AC or chiller. Store had a fridge. The pharmacy's drug procurement and selection committee was present. More than half (55%) of drugs were purchased using open tender. Direct purchases made up 30%, donations 13%, and other methods 2%. The store has an expiration-date section. The store contains updated volatile drug storage, safety stock, a stock ledger, vouchers, and invoicing. The shop had no electronic ledger. Lack of space, shelves, a damp or cracked wall, and a refrigerator were issues. Labor was scarce. Shop managers say improve quality management. During the drug receiving procedure, analytical testing ensures preservation and efficacy. Store management in our nation can be improved by giving refresher training on regulations and legislation and maintaining an electronic ledger via a database system.

Household disposal of pharmaceuticals: attitudes and risk perception in a UK sample

Pharmaceuticals can enter the environment through disposal in toilets, sinks and general waste. In the UK, household medicines are correctly disposed of by returning them to a pharmacy. This study examined household patterns of medicine waste, storage and disposal practices via a cross-sectional survey with 663 UK adults. Multiple regression was used to explore the contribution of key variables on self-reported medicines disposal behaviour. Analysis demonstrated that age, information, awareness, probability, attitude and intention all predicted correct disposal behaviour. Results indicate that multiple factors influence different disposal destinations uniquely. Affect and age increase disposal in sink/toilet but reduce disposal in bin. Presence of children increase bin and sink/toilet disposal but decrease pharmacy returns. Awareness and received information on correct disposal reduce bin disposal and increase pharmacy returns. The results suggest people use different mental models for each destination with disposal in sink/toilets and bins considered quicker and safer in the presence of children or for those feeling anxious. It is important to understand the capability, opportunity and motivation people have to return medicines to the pharmacy in addition to raising awareness of correct medicine disposal.

Affecting children's knowledge about rational use of medicines using read-along videos of pictorial storybooks.

Although efforts have been taken to educate the public about medication from a very young age, there are very limited availability and accessibility of education material for children. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of read-along videos of pictorial storybooks on children’s knowledge about rational use of medicines. This study compared pre and post knowledge scores in a nonrandomized, one-group pre-test-post-test experimental design. Pre-recorded read-along storytelling videos were used as intervention covering two topics on rational use of medicine -medicine storage and antibiotic resistance. The questionnaire and intervention videos were distributed using Google Forms to children aged six and seven in Malaysia via online social media platforms. 521 children completed the study. The mean baseline knowledge score for medication storage was 4.89 (SD = 1.12) pre-test and 5.44 (SD = 0.78) post-test while for antibiotic resistance the mean was 3.616 (SD = 1.340) pre-test and 4.820 (SD = 1.134) post-test. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test showed statistically significant changes on medication storage (Z = −10.21, p < 0.001) and antibiotic resistance (Z = −14.869, p < 0.001) related knowledge among children. Pictorial storybook read-along video interventions were shown to be effective in improving children’s knowledge on rational use of medicine. Education and awareness on the use of antibiotics should be prioritized.

Reimagining drug manufacturing paradigm in today’s pharmacy landscape

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has escalated the ongoing problem of critical medication shortages, which has serious implications for the health of our patients. Currently, active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) are synthesized in large-scale batch operations and shipped to drug product manufacturers, where they are produced on a large scale at centralized facilities. In the centralized drug manufacturing process, the formulation components, operations, and packaging are structured to favor long-term storage and shipment of resultant medicines to the point of care, making this process vulnerable to supply chain disruptions. We propose a rethinking of the drug manufacturing paradigm with an upgraded pharmaceutical compounding-based manufacturing paradigm. This paradigm will be based on integration of continuous manufacturing of APIs and manufacturing of medicines at the point of care with application of machine learning, artificial intelligence, and 3-dimensional printing. This paradigm will support implementation of precision medicine and customization according to patients’ needs. The new model of drug manufacturing will be less dependent on the supply chain while ensuring availability of medicines in a cost-effective manner.

Parents and caregivers experience in managing children's medicines after discharge from a New Zealand hospital.

To investigate the level of understanding parents/caregivers have regarding prescribed medicines for their sick children, and how they manage these medicines at home following hospital discharge. English-speaking parents/caregivers of sick children were recruited if their child was admitted to Middlemore Hospital in New Zealand and prescribed two liquid medicines, specifically an analgesic and an antibiotic. A questionnaire was developed and used to interview parents/caregivers on three separate occasions. The questionnaire was firstly administered during their hospital stay; secondly, by telephone post-discharge; and thirdly via a home visit two to three days after the estimated completion date of the antibiotic course. Eighteen participants from the five main ethnic groups (Pacific Island n=7, NZ European n=5, Māori n=4, Asian n=2) completed all three interviews. Parents/caregivers had a reasonable understanding of the purpose of the medicines prescribed. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists provided variable medicines information to parents/caregivers on hospital discharge. Parents/caregivers used a variety of measuring equipment at home, but over a quarter (28%) were not supplied with an oral syringe to measure appropriate doses of medicines at home, and some lacked knowledge on safe storage and appropriate disposal of medicines. This study found variation and gaps in the information for medicines provided at discharge. To facilitate the safe use of medicines, consistent and clear information about the use, storage and disposal of medicines needs to be provided by all healthcare professionals involved; and accurate measuring equipment should be provided free of charge with instructions.

Assessment of knowledge, attitude, and practice of disposing and storing unused and expired medicines among the communities of Kathmandu, Nepal.

Unused medicines can be stored by many people at their places of residence and houses for later use. This study evaluated knowledge, and attitudes regarding unused and expired medicines and explored medicine storage and disposal practices among selected households in the Kathmandu valley, Nepal. A cross-sectional study with a two-stage cluster survey design was done using a semi-structured questionnaire from April to October 2021. The sample size (total number of households) after adjusting for design effect and non-response rate was 210 and the study population was the household heads. Simple random sampling was done to select clusters during the first stage and systematic random sampling to select households during the second stage. Descriptive statistics and t-test/one-way ANOVA were used to compare the respondents' average knowledge scores. Practice variables were presented using frequency distribution. Around half the respondents were from the Kathmandu district, nearly 20% were from Bhaktapur and 30% were from Lalitpur. Nearly two-thirds were male and about 25% had a bachelor's degree. Nearly 90% of respondents agreed that storage of excess medicines at home may promote self-medication. Similarly, 97.6% of respondents agreed there is a lack of adequate information on the safe disposal of unused medicines. The majority [125 (59.5%)] of participants always checked the expiry date of medicines. The safe methods of medicine disposal were not known by 137 (65.2%) participants. Throwing in a dustbin was the preferred method of expired medicine disposal. The level of knowledge and practice of disposing of unused and expired medicines requires improvement. Educational interventions may help improve awareness further. Creating a chart summarizing disposal procedures of common medicines is important. Similar studies in other regions are required.

Drug Management in Households of Bamako, Mali

The rational use of medicines is a concern of any health policy in many countries. The aim of this study was to investigate the management of medicines in households in Bamako, Mali. It is a descriptive cross-sectional study, which took place from August to October 2020. Random sampling was used. A questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics and family drug management. Data were entered and analyzed on Epi info version 17 software. Informed and verbal consent was obtained from the respondents. Of the 150 households visited, 99% had medicines at the time of the survey. For the storage of medicines, 2.7% of respondents used a medicine cabinet. Among the medicines found in the households, painkillers were the most represented (184/668). More than 52% of the medicines in households were acquired on medical prescription against 48% on self-medication. And 21.3% declared that the medicines were within the reach of children. We found that all the households surveyed had a stock of medicines and the bedroom was the room most often used to store them. Very few had a cupboard dedicated to storing medicines in the family.

Nanostructured Materials as an Analytical Strategy to Unravel and Treat Human Diseases: The Practical Challenges Behind the Theory

In recent years, the world has witnessed important progress in the field of nanotechnology, which has strongly impacted the various fields of science and industry, creating new applications in electronics, medicine, and energy storage. In this sense, several nanoscale materials with different compositions have been produced and reported in the literature. Nanomaterials can be classified according to their composition. For example, silicon dioxide (SiO2), quantum dots (QDs), carbon dots (CDs), and nanoparticles (metallic and non-metallic), among others, have been widely synthetized and applied in several area. In nanomedicine, more specifically, the literature shows that nanoscale materials have shown numerous advantages, including unravelling and/or treating human diseases. In theory, due to unique optical properties, relative stability, high brightness, high quantum yield, biocompatibility, and biodegradability, some nanomaterials can be used as promising tools to assist in the generation of bioimages, diagnosis, and treatments of human diseases. To guarantee specific interactions between nanoparticles and cells, the adsorptive properties of nanomaterials are altered by the selective functionalization of the particles, allowing different clinical applications. For example, Zhang et al. reported a new method for cancer identification called multiplexed nanomaterial-assisted laser desorption/ionization for cancer identification (MNALCI). In this study, Au/SiO2 core/shell nanoparticles were used as the nanostructured material. The MNALCI was applied to 1,183 subjects, including 233 healthy controls and 950 patients with different types of cancer from two independent cohorts. MNALCI demonstrated a sensitivity of 93% to 91% to distinguish cancers from healthy controls. Satisfactory accuracy and minimal sample consumption make MNALCI a promising solution for non-invasive cancer diagnosis. In another study, magnetic NPs (MNPs), combined with oligomer-specific antibodies targeting neurotoxic beta-amyloid oligomers (AβOs), were evaluated in vitro and in vivo for imaging neurodegenerative diseases. Furthermore, nanocomposites (natural or synthetic) have been used as nanocarriers to carry out controlled drug delivery to target regions and even for reconstitution of necrotic tissues (tissue engineering).

Comparison of Temperature Equilibrium Rate and Cell Growth/Viability Under Air Circulation in Cryogenic Storage Container

Abstract With advances in biotechnology, the field of cryopreservation has been continuously developed and improved. Typical cryo-container was designed with minimal flow to avoid possible structural defects in LN2 tank, which has a higher thermal conductivity than vapor nitrogen tank. If cells are placed in typical cryo-container and stored in VN2 tank, cross-contamination can be prevented, but the cell viability after thawing may be reduced. The structure of typical cryo-containers is not optimized for vaporized nitrogen to flow quickly into the container and its circulation well. Therefore, we proposed new cryo-container models that can maintain mechanical strength while optimizing the fluid flow structure, and performed thermal–structural coupled field analysis on cryo-containers. We confirmed the cryo-containers by comparing the equivalent stress distributions formed around through holes and evaluating thermal equilibrium in the cryogenic steady-state through flow analysis. Prototype cryo-containers and typical cryo-containers were placed in VN2 tank for a period of time to observe temperature changes. As a result, the time it takes to reach the temperature equilibrium has been reduced to 55% level compared with the typical cryo-containers. Additionally, C2C12 and hADMSC cells were checked after storage under two temperature conditions (−80 and −196 °C). In both cell, viability, adhesion, and relative cell proliferation were improved by up to 15–20% in new containers compared to typical products. The developed container is expected to maintain stability well by being applied to storage and transportation of advanced medicines that require cryopreservation.

Diabetes care in times of armed conflict

Recent events in Ukraine emphasise the danger and uncertainty faced by people who are caught in armed conflict. Those living with diabetes face an additional crisis: the complexity of diabetes management during war. This editorial describes the challenges of caring for people with diabetes in this scenario, including the impact on healthcare systems, mass displacement, refocused priorities of wider healthcare, fiscal challenges, and disruption to supply lines, storage of medicines and communications. We consider the effects on people living with diabetes and suggest some strategies for healthcare workers providing care during conflict, including equipping healthcare providers to deal with diabetes emergencies, and adaptation of technological innovations.

Assessment of the implementation of safe medication practices in Intensive Medicine Units

ObjectiveTo assess the level of implementation of medication safety practices in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and to identify opportunities for improvement. DesignA descriptive multicenter study was carried out. SettingIntensive Care Units. Participants/ProcedureA total of 40 ICUs voluntarily completed the “Medication use-system safety self-assessment for Intensive Care Units” between March and September 2020. The survey comprised 147 items for evaluation grouped into 10 key elements. Main variablesCalculation was made of the mean scores and mean percentages based on the maximum possible values for the overall survey, referred to the key elements and to each individual item for evaluation. ResultsThe mean score of the overall questionnaire among the participating ICUs was 436.8 (49.2% of the maximum possible score). No differences were found according to functional dependence, size of the hospital or type of ICU. The key elements referred to the incorporation of clinical pharmacists in these Units, as well as the competence and training of the professionals in safety practices yielded the lowest values (31.2% and 33.2%, respectively). Three other key elements related to accessibility to information about patients and medicines; to the standardization, storage and distribution of medicines; and to the quality and risk management programs, yielded percentages <50%. ConclusionsNumerous effective safety medication practices have been identified with a low level of implementation in ICUs. This situation must be addressed in order to reduce medication errors in critically ill patients.