The Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Canada has released its latest Safety Bulletin: Opportunities for Safer Management of Fertility Medications: A Multi-Incident Analysis. The article describes the findings of a multi-incident analysis of reports related to fertility medications and shares recommendations to optimize their safe use.
For this article, ISMP Canada used data collected from practice incidents and close calls associated with fertility medications submitted in the 10-year period between January 2015 and January 2025. The data was extracted from ISMP Canada’s Consumer Reporting program, Individual Practitioner Reporting database, and the National Incident Data Repository for Community Pharmacies (NIDR), as well as the Canadian Institute for Health Information’s (CIHI’s) National System for Incident Reporting (NSIR).
Most of the reports were either close calls or practice incidents causing no harm, while approximately three per cent were practice incidents causing either mild or moderate harm. The most common type of practice incident or close call was reported to be incorrect dose/frequency of the medication, followed by incorrect quantity and incorrect drug.
The article highlights opportunities to reduce the risk of error and to support the safe and timely use of medications to treat infertility and to promote and/or sustain pregnancy. A key recommendation is to include the indication for treatment on the prescription; this supports pharmacist clinical assessment and provision of patient resources for safe medication preparation and administration.
The Safety Bulletin is one example of how ISMP Canada uses information that is submitted to the NIDR to uncover insights that can be shared and applied in practice. This type of analysis is only possible thanks to pharmacy teams contributing this information to the NIDR in a commitment to quality and safety. In Alberta, pharmacy teams are moving towards implementing CQI+, ACP’s new continuous quality improvement program. A key component of CQI+ is the anonymous submission of practice incident and close call details to the NIDR, which will provide opportunities for learning by their colleagues in Alberta and across Canada. Pharmacy teams must have CQI+ implemented in their pharmacies by February 1, 2026.
