As a patient or caregiver, there are ways to prevent this. By asking the right questions, you can ensure you will receive the correct medication and dosage.
If you are a caregiver, be prepared to provide the health-care provider with the necessary information about the patient, including a good medical history, allergies to medications and food, and the first symptom that occurs with an allergic reaction, such as a rash or swelling of the lips.
Provide a complete list of medications that are being taken, including prescription and over-the-counter products, and be honest about using tobacco, alcohol or street drugs. This information can impact whether a medication will be the safest and most effective choice.
When the health-care provider prescribes a medication, ask questions. Before leaving the office, know the name of the medication and why you have to take it. Ask how often you must take it and how long to continue. Write down the information to help you remember.
At the pharmacy, once again, you will need to provide a complete and current medication history. With every new prescription, provide allergy information, even if you have given it before, so your information is current. A good medical history allows the pharmacist to evaluate the possibility of drug interactions or the increased chance of side effects. If possible, use the same pharmacy each time you fill or refill a prescription. This allows the pharmacist to monitor a complete medication profile, not just a prescription here and there.
In addition, ask:
- How often you should take the medication and for how long;
- If the medication should be taken on an empty stomach, with food, or either;
- If any foods, caffeine, alcohol or over-the-counter medications should be avoided when taking the new medication;
- About common side effects, the possibility of severe side effects and what, if any, precautions should be taken.
Also, inquire about any special storage instructions and how to use a device, such as an inhaler, or how to apply a cream or ointment.
With every new prescription, request a patient information sheet so you have written information to refer to later if necessary. If you will be giving a liquid medication to a child, ask for an appropriate measuring device, and use it only to measure the medication that accompanies it.
The more information you can provide, the better your health-care provider can prescribe the medication that is safest for you. In addition, the more information you receive from health-care providers and pharmacists, the better your overall outcome.
You can help reduce the number of medication errors and hospital stays by knowing what medication you are taking and how to take it.
Cynthia Byrne, R.Ph., is a graduate of Duquesne University and has worked in local hospital, outpatient clinic and community pharmacies. She is a relief pharmacist for S&L Solutions.
