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 SAFER PRACTICE NOTICE
Medication Cups – Product Change
Issue
Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) reported a fatal error in 2015 when the
nurse confused drams as mLs .
JULY 2nd 2016 Best Practice Drug Shortage Label change
Medication Change
Recall
Vendor Change For the information of:
Patient Care Managers
Professional Practice
Leaders
Clinical Nurse Educators
Nursing Staff
Pharmacists
Clinical Leads
Contact: Medication Management
Safety Team:
Medication.Management@
covenanthealth.ca 
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Goal of this best practice is to use liquid medication dosing devices
that only display volume using the metric scale.
ISMP has received more than 50 reports of mixups between milliliters (mL) and
household measures such as drops and teaspoonfuls, some leading to injuries
requiring hospitalization.
Oral syringes,dosing cups, droppers, and other measuring devices have been
involved.
Use of the apothecary system has also caused confusion with mix-ups between
drams and mL and other non-metric measurements such as ounces and
tablespoons.
ISMP first reported confusion in 2000, and has continued to receive reports of
medication errors because of mix-ups between metric and non-metric units of
measure.
Covenant Health supports the use of medication cups (metric scale) for measuring
medications that do not require critical or exact doses (e.g. Amagel) and oral medication
syringes for critical and exact dosing.
Action
Patient Care units to order medication cups with mLs only – Medline Canada
Corporation, Oracle Number 314671, Manufactuer Item DYND 70000.
Med cup with numerous doses
Med cup with mLs only
Medline DYND 80000
Medline DYND 70000
Note: Automatic substitution occurring in the Central Warehouse. CPSM Notification
of Product Change has been released
Please Post
*Adapted from ISMP National Alert Network (NAN ALERT) June 30th 2015