FDA: Safe Use Initiative

Today, tens of millions of people in the United States depend on prescription and OTC medications to sustain their health—as many as 3 billion prescriptions are written annually. Too many people, however, suffer unnecessary injuries, and some die as a result of preventable medication errors. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) believes that many of these medication-related risks are manageable if parties committed to the safe use of medications work together.

The mission of the Safe Use Initiative is to create and facilitate public and private collaborations within the healthcare community. The goal of the Safe Use Initiative is to reduce preventable harm by identifying specific, preventable medication risks and developing, implementing and evaluating cross-sector interventions with partners who are committed to safe medication use.

Potential partners in Safe Use include:

* Federal agencies
* Healthcare professionals and professional societies
* Pharmacies, hospitals, and other health care entities
* Patients, caregivers, consumers, and their representative organizations

The FDA held a public “Safe Use Initiative” workshop on November 16-17, 2010, in Silver Spring, MD.

FDA’s Safe Use Initiative Team held a workshop to communicate the status of ongoing activities and future vision for Safe Use Initiative projects. The Team gathered input and perspectives for future directions towards the development of collaborative, cross-sector safe medication use activities with healthcare stakeholders.

Learn more about the Safe Use Initiative here.