SAFETY ISSUES: MEDICATION SAFETY
PROBLEM
Multiple problems may occur as a result of taking more than two medicines, including drug interactions and side effects. It is very important to ask questions and ask for written instructions to make sure that you understand your medicines.
CAUSES
The causes of problems with medications include the following:
A.Not understanding what each prescription is and how to take it.
B.Seeing more than one doctor for different medical conditions.
C.Using more than one pharmacy.
D.Taking some prescription medication with herbal and over-the-counter medicines.
E.Mixing other family members’ medications with yours.
F.Forgetting if you have taken your medicine and taking it again.
G.Not having a system set up to take medications as prescribed.
H.Taking someone else’s medications.
I.Mixing more than one drug in one prescription bottle.
J.Some medicines need to be tapered off instead of just stopping them.
PREVENTION
A.Questions to ask your provider and pharmacist for medicines include the following:
1.What is the medication for?
2.What are the side effects of this medicine?
3.How do you take it?
4.When do you take it?
5.What should you do if you miss any medicine?
6.Can the medicine be taken with food or should it be taken on an empty stomach?
7.Are there any foods that should not be eaten while on the medicine?
8.Can the pill be cut in half?
9.Can the pill be crushed or chewed?
10.How long should it be taken?
11.Should this medicine be stored in any special way, like keeping it in the refrigerator?
12.Is there a generic medicine that costs less?
B.It is important to make a list of all of your medications, including any prescriptions, vitamins, herbal products, and any over-the-counter products that you take:
1.Eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers are medicines.
2.Over-the-counter products that should be listed include medicines for your bowels, headaches, stomach, and sleep.
3.Keep your medicine list up to date by adding new medicines, taking off medicines that are no longer taken, and updating your list if the medicine dose changes.
4.Do not stop medicines just because you feel better.
C.Once or twice a year, take a bag of all of your medications into the office to have your healthcare provider review them.
D.Store your medicine in one place instead of multiple medications in the kitchen cabinets/shelves, bedroom, bathroom, and drawers.
E.Lock up your medications:
1.Use a toolbox that can be locked.
2.Others may go through medications because of their drug addiction.
3.Children are curious about different color pills and containers.
F.Do not share medicines with anyone.
G.Keep individual family medicines separated by using a different shelf or basket:
1.If you need to use inhalers for asthma or other lung problems, use one color basket for fast-acting inhalers and another color basket for the long-acting inhaler medicine.
H.Use a weekly pill container to prevent you from taking extra doses out of a bottle; have someone help you set up your medicines.
I.Do not mix medicines in one bottle.
J.Medicine that comes in an amber container protects the medicine from light.
K.Before throwing out an old medicine bottle, scratch out or use a marker to make the information unreadable to protect personal information.
L.Ask the pharmacist how to dispose of unused and old medicines.
M.Throw out outdated medications and medications that are no longer taken. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy have developed guidelines for drug disposal:
1.Do not flush medications down the sink or toilet unless there are specific labels on the medication:
a.Narcotic pain medicine may have instructions to flush it to reduce the danger of unintentional use or overdose.
b.Fentanyl patches for pain should be folded in half and flushed down the toilet.
2.Use community drug-takeback programs to bring any unused drugs to a central location for proper drug disposal. Often there are designated disposal containers in police stations.
3.If the drug cannot be put down the drain/flushed and cannot be taken to a designated disposal, the following steps should be taken:
a.Remove the medications from the original container and mix them with kitty litter, coffee grounds, or other undesirable substances.
b.Place the mixture in a sealable bag, empty can, or other container to prevent leaking.
PATIENT TEACHING GUIDE