November 15, 2006
Tips for Patients
What YOU can do to avoid medication errors
At Home
KEEP an updated list of the prescription and nonprescription medicines & other products like vitamins and minerals, you are taking.
TAKE your medicine list with you every time you visit a healthcare provider and have him or her review it.
At the Doctor's Office
HAVE the doctor, physician's assistant or nurse practitioner write down the name of the medicine (brand & generic, if available), what it is for, its dosage, and how often to take it, or provide other written material with this information.
HAVE the prescriber explain how to use the medicine properly.
ASK about side effects and what to do if you experience a side effect.
At the Pharmacy
KNOW that you can review your list of medications with the pharmacist for additional safety.
KNOW that you have the right to counseling by the pharmacist if you have any questions. For example, you can ask the pharmacist to explain how to properly take the medicine, the side effects of the medicine, and what to do if you think you are starting to develop a side effect.
At the Hospital (Inpatient Care)
ASK the doctor or nurse what medicines you are being given.
DO NOT take a medicine without being told the purpose for doing so.
EXERCISE your right to have someone with you whenever you are being given medicine and are not able to carefully follow the medication-use process yourself.
BEFORE SURGERY, ASK whether there are medications, especially prescription antibiotics, that you should take or any that you should stop taking.
BEFORE YOU GO HOME, ASK for a list of the medications that you should be taking at home, have a healthcare provider review the medicines with you, and be sure you understand how to take these medicines.
Not sure about what you need to know and do when it comes to taking your medicine? Follow this important rule: When in doubt, ask first! Your healthcare professionals can help you get the facts you need to use medicines safely. National Council on Patient Information and Education: www.talkaboutrx.org
Adapted from Preventing Medication Errors, Institute of Medicine, July 2006.
YKHC Pharmacists observe Pharmacy Month, Health System Week
During the month of October, pharmacists celebrated both American Pharmacists Month and National Health System Week, October 22-28 to recognize the vital contributions pharmacists make to everyday lives of patients, through their efforts in improving safe medication use strategies and impacting better health outcomes.
National Health-System Pharmacy Week was established in 1925 in an effort to make the public aware of the contributions made by professional pharmacists to the medical community. This year the theme of National Pharmacy Week is "Educate Before You Medicate--Knowledge is the Best Medicine--Talk with Your Pharmacist." Pharmacists are specifically trainied to educate patients in regard to medication interactions and drug therapy management.