Medication Management Process: Some Key Challenges and the Way to Address Them

Abstract Medications are essential in the patient healing process within hospital settings; however, their management is fraught with challenges that can lead to adverse outcomes when not handled properly. This study delineates the key phases of medication management—selection and procurement, storage, prescribing, dispensing, administration, and monitoring—while emphasizing the complexities and potential pitfalls within each phase. Major obstacles identified include a lack of accountability across departments, improper storage conditions, and the prevalence of medication errors and near misses. Effective strategies to mitigate these risks are proposed, such as establishing a prescription audit team, minimizing verbal orders, and ensuring thorough reviews of patient medication charts by specialists. This research advocates for a multidisciplinary approach involving collaboration among healthcare professionals, particularly the pharmacy team, to enhance medication safety and efficacy. By fostering clear roles and responsibilities within the medication management process, healthcare organizations can significantly reduce the incidence of medication-related errors, ultimately improving patient care outcomes.