What Do We Do With Your Report?

At ISMP, we review incident reports submitted by consumers and healthcare professionals and look for ways to prevent harmful errors. For example, we may approach a manufacturer to suggest that the label of a product be changed, we may suggest safer ways for healthcare professionals to handle medications, or we may remind consumers of things they can do to avoid making mistakes with medications.

ISMP will:

Review your report
Look for system problems that could cause errors to happen
Prepare recommendations that are designed to prevent mistakes with medication
Send recommendations about medication safety to healthcare professionals and consumers
Notify the manufacturer if it is a product issue
Advocate throughout the healthcare system to promote changes to improve medication safety
Provide consumer-focused information and tips about medication safety on the ConsumerMedSafety.org website
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ISMP will not:

Investigate a complaint on your behalf with an organization or healthcare professional that is responsible for an error
Investigate the actions of individual practitioners
Report (for disciplinary purposes) the incident to professional authorities responsible for regulating the practice of healthcare professionals
Release or publish any information that could identify the reporter of an incident, a patient, a healthcare professional, or an organization involved in an incident

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Free Samples of Medicine May Not Be Problem-Free

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What’s in That Vial?

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Don’t Confuse a Product Called WartSTICK with Lip Balm!

Many people are familiar with over-the-counter wart treatments. They're typically liquid based or are packaged in an aerosol container with a special application tip. But did you know there is also a wart remover that uses a dry formulation in the form of a stick? Within the last year a company called Balassa Laboratories has repackaged an old formula of a solid stick wart remover (previously packaged under the name PediFix). The newly packaged product, called WartSTICK, is now available at popular chain drugstores such as CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens on-line. Our concern? It looks identical to a container of lip balm. The active ingredient in WartSTICK is salicylic acid, which should NEVER come in contact with the lips or mucous membranes inside your mouth.

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