Council of Europe	World Health Organization
Partial Agreement	Regional Office for Europe
in the Social and Public Health Field

Expert Meeting on Medication Safety

21 – 22 November 2002

The Hague, The Netherlands

Consensus Document on Medication Safety
adopted by the Experts

2 December 2002

Consensus document

Having regard to World Health Assembly Resolution 55.18 (2002) recognising the need to promote patient safety as a fundamental principle of all health systems

and

to all Resolutions of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers dealing with the health protection of the consumer in its widest acceptation
- in particular, Resolution ResAP(2001)2 concerning the pharmacist’s role in the framework of health security, in partnership with others health professionals,

Participants in the Expert Meeting on Medication Safety co-sponsored by the Council of Europe (Partial Agreement in the Social and Public Health Field) and the World Health Organization / Regional Office for Europe, agree

- that medication errors be recognised as an important system-based public health issue,

- that the approach to safe medication practices should be multidisciplinary and should include patients, professionals and their organisations,

- that a recognised national focal point for safe medication practices be designated in each country,

- that there should be active sharing and dissemination of data and strategies for risk reduction between countries,

- that a Europe-wide definition of medication error is needed,

- that there should be Europe-wide standards for safe medication practices,

- that there should be national systems for reporting medication errors, analysing causes and disseminating information on risk reduction,

- that a base line assessment of the frequency, nature and causes of medication errors is needed,

- that local targets are valuable in implementing safe medication practices.