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While most medications are typically safe when taken as prescribed, certain risks are associated with medication usage. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 700,000 Emergency Departments visits happen annually in the United States due to injury brought on by the misuse of medication. Many injuries like these can and will be prevented as both clinicians and patients become more knowledgeable about medication safety.

Culture of safety refers to a blame free working environment, typically in a high-risk setting in which everyone from the C-suite down, shares the responsibility of maintaining consistently safe operations. In healthcare, such a culture facilitates the reporting of errors or near misses without the fear of punishment and encourages collaboration across the ranks to remedy safety problems.