Medication Safety: What Nurses Should Know About Black Box Warnings.

"Safety first" has always been a nursing priority-just as medication education has been an essential nursing function. Approximately 79 million individuals of all ages, birth-to-death, were prescribed psychotropic medications in 2013. Nurses of all disciplines and who work in all practice settings must be aware of the potential safety concerns related to medications patients may be taking. Black Box Warnings (BBWs) are the strictest labeling requirements that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can mandate. Risks of increased suicidality, mortality in older adults, potential for abuse and drug dependence, and life-threatening hepatic failure are among the most significant BBWs attributed to psychotropic medications. As such, nurses must be aware of not only how medications will benefit patients in relieving symptoms of or preventing their disease but also the potential risks, adverse reactions, and BBWs. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, 55(6), 11-15.].