For 12 years, the ‚Aktionsbündnis Patientensicherheit e.V. (APS)‘ has been developing tools for improving patient safety. Experts with different professional backgrounds are working alongside patients and self-help associations in different working groups to develop and publish problem-oriented best-practice recommendations. Since its foundation in 2005, APS has published more than 20 best-practice recommendations and is one of the most important institutions for patient safety in Germany. In this article, the aims and initiatives of one working group of the APS, i.e. the medication safety working group, are presented. The standardized concept for the development of best-practice recommendations is illustrated by the example of the recommendations for medication safety in hospitals.