Empowering Patients
in Medication Safety Issues
Even with an ever-growing
body of literature and resources on medication safety, medication
errors remain a serious issue. According to the most recent report
from United States Pharmacopeia (USP), medication errors, especially
prescribing, dose and drug-to-drug interaction errors, persist despite
advances that facilitate earlier detection of errors.
Of the 192,477 errors reported to USP’s MEDMARX database in
2001, more than one third involved seniors — and nearly 10
percent of those errors were associated with the prescribing process
in both outpatient and inpatient settings. In addition, a new study
by the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences
found that 88 percent of medication errors involved the wrong drug
or the wrong dose.
As for the good news, as patients and consumers are becoming more
involved in matters related to their own health care, they can be
encouraged to take an active personal role in preventing medication
errors. Following are questions/tips for patients for future visits
to your office:
Tips for engaging patients in medication
safety awareness
- Encourage patients to inform physicians and providers about
every medication they are taking, including prescription and over-the-counter
medicines and dietary supplements, such as vitamins and herbs
— commonly called “nutraceuticals.”
- At least annually, have patients bring all medicines and supplements
to their doctor’s appointment. “Brown-bagging”
medicines can help physicians and patients talk about the medications
in general and also elicit information from patients about any
problems they might be experiencing.
- Routinely encourage patients to report any known allergies or
reactions that they have had to medicines.
- When writing the prescription, include the purpose of the medication
and suggest that patients review that with the pharmacist when
picking up the prescription.
- Encourage patients to ask for information about their medicines
in terms they can understand — both at the time of prescription
writing and when they obtain the medication. Important questions
they should ask include: What is the medicine for? How am I supposed
to take it, and for how long? What side effects might I expect
and what should I do if they occur? Is this safe to take with
other medicines or supplements I am taking?
- When picking up medication from the pharmacy,
patients should double-check that the medication is the one prescribed
by their physician. They should also be reminded to read the label
before leaving the pharmacy to ensure they understand the instructions
for taking the medication. Also, patients should request that
written information on side effects and safety issues be provided
with the filled prescription.
Online medication safety resources
The Institute for Safe Medication Practices,
a national organization, publishes a wide range of educational materials
for health care professionals and patients. Patient materials include
medication safety tips, a frequently updated series of alerts and
a free consumer newsletter titled “Safe Medicine.” Visit
http://www.ismp.org/Pages/Consumer.html.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has published
a brochure, “Quick Tips — When Getting a Prescription.”
Visit http://www.ahrq.gov/
consumer/quicktips/tipprescrip.htm.
“Your Medicine — Play It Safe,” is also an AHRQ
brochure that includes a detailed discussion of medication safety
issues, as well as a reminder checklist and medication-record forms.
Visit http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/safemeds/
safemeds.htm.
The Food and Drug Administration Center for Drug Evaluation and
Research Web site provides updates on products associated with medication
errors, as well as links to recent reports, news articles and patient-focused
materials. Visit http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/MedErrors/.
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