AIMS Data

The College only has access to de-identified, aggregate AIMS data for the purposes of reviewing medication event trends and supporting shared learning and system-based improvements across the province. The College does not validate or independently verify information reported through the program, nor does it have access to details connecting reported events to individual pharmacy professionals or pharmacies. Anonymous reporting is crucial to creating a safety culture.

Medication incidents are any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm. Medication incidents may be related to professional practice, drug products, procedures, or systems, and include prescribing, order communication, product labelling/packaging/nomenclature, compounding, dispensing, distribution, administration, education, monitoring, and use.

Good catches (previously “near misses”) are any event that could have led to inappropriate medication use or patient harm but did not reach the patient. Good catches provide valuable insight into areas of risk and may indicate where systems can be improved to prevent harm. More information on when to record good catches can be found in this Pharmacy Connection article.

Number of pharmacies recording shows the number of pharmacies that recorded at least one event during the year. Pharmacies that have recorded more than one event will only be counted once. For context, there are approximately 4,600 community pharmacies in Ontario.

Events by medication system stage shows the step in the process, such as order entry, prescribing or patient education, during which the event took place.

Events by what happened shows the numbers of each event type, such as incorrect drug, incorrect label or duplication of therapy, that have been recorded.

Events by why it happened show the contributing factors, such as environmental, staffing or workflow problems, critical patient information missing or lack of quality control or independent check systems, that were involved in an event. During event recording, more than one contributing factor can be selected. This means that the totals for contributing factors may be more than the total number of events recorded.

The Institute for Safe Medication Practices defines harm as a temporary or permanent impairment in body functions or structures. This includes mental, physical, sensory functions and pain. Incidents by harm level shows the number of incidents by harm level category. Harm levels are recorded based on the recording individual’s interpretation of the event. The harm category classifications are as follows:

• Unknown – It is not clear the degree of harm caused to the patient.
• None – Patient is not symptomatic or no symptoms are detected and no treatment or intervention is required.
• Mild Harm – Patient has mild, temporary and short-term symptoms. No treatment, extra observation or mild medical treatment or intervention is required.
• Moderate Harm – Patient required additional treatment or intervention, hospitalization, or the incident resulted in minor permanent harm or loss of function.
• Severe Harm – Patient is symptomatic and required treatment or major surgical/medical to save the patient’s life. The incident is responsible for loss of function, shortened life expectancy or major permanent long-term harm.
• Death – The incident may have caused or contributed to the patient’s death.