Patient-Specific Blister Packaging of Medications in the Oncology Camp Setting: Optimizing Medication Safety and Dispensing Processes

Abstract

Background: Safe medication delivery is an essential component of medical care in the overnight summer camp setting, especially for children with cancer and medical complexity. Blister packaging of medications is a method that may improve safety in this setting. Method: In this quality improvement project, we implemented and evaluated a system of on-site blister packaging of medications with the goal of optimizing the safety and efficiency of medication delivery at a large overnight summer camp for children with cancer. Data for the number and types of medications delivered and medication errors were described in the summer sessions prior to and post this implementation. Quantitative and qualitative clinician feedback was collected. Results: In the summer of 2023, there were 551 campers, 342 (62%) of whom received at least one medication and with the number of medications per child ranging from 0 to 18. There were 70/551 (20%) of campers who received high-risk medications defined as oral antineoplastic therapy and controlled substances. The frequency of medication errors was very low across all summer sessions. The mean number of errors in the preimplementation period was 1/1,000 errors per medication dispensed (0.1%), whereas in the postimplementation period, it was 0.4/1,000 (0.04%). In postcamp survey, qualitative responses from medical staff described that they perceived blister packaging of medications to improve safety and decrease workload. Discussion: The implementation of on-site blister packaging of medications is a feasible system for optimizing medication safety and delivery in an overnight camp for children with cancer.