When the doctor prescribes medication you must be very careful and fully understand take the drugs and become knowledgeable about the full benefits and the side-effects of improper use. Every time you put something into your body, ie, food, fluids, drugs, etc, via ingestion or other alternative routes, for example, injections, it has to be metabolize and broken down by the body, absorbed, assimilated and the final waste products produced are eventually cleared and eliminated via the liver or kidney.
Avoiding medication errors is very important to reduce the risks of potential side-effects as a consequence of improper use.
Instructions
1. Medication errors are commonly caused by misunderstanding or miscommunication between the patient and doctor or pharmacist. Other errors are due to illegible handwriting on the prescription order, mislabeling on the medication container, misplaced decimal points or incorrect number of zeroes on the label causing significant changes in dosage taken. Also, prescription incorrect usage due confusion of drugs due to similar drug names.
2. One way to ensure you take your prescription properly is to become a well-informed patient. If you are on "poly pharmacy" for multiple medical condition it is important to keep track of all the medications you are taking and the time schedule and dosage. One way to track this is to keep a personal medical log book and journal. You should log in every medication you take, note the time, schedule and dosage, including any unusual side effects you might experience. Keep a check list available and in view for other members of the family to see in case of an emergency and you require assistance.
3. Tell your doctor and other healthcare professionals about any changes in your daily life, including an increase/decrease in sleep, a special diet or changes in schedule.
You should also inform your healthcare professionals of the following:
* Any allergies to medications, or if you suspect you have previously experienced an adverse or allergic reaction to a particular medicine
* If you are currently pregnant, have plans to become pregnant, or if you are nursing a baby
* Illnesses or problems for which another doctor or healthcare professional is currently treating or has recently treated you
4. Always follow prescription directions as instructed by the doctor and pharmacist or other healthcare professional, and do not change the way you take them unless instructed by them to do so. Some medications can cause drowsiness so do not drive a vehicle or operate heavy machineries. Some drugs increases your sensitivity to direct sunlight, and others need to be taken with or without food. The key is to be astute about your medications and learn take then correctly and safely.
5. If you are a caregiver for a child or another sick adult, ie, , elderly or disabled person, you will have to remind him or her to take a medication, or administer it yourself. The school nurse should be contacted to ensure they know administer the medication properly to the student.
6. It is recommended to monitor the side-effect of the medications in a log book Monitor Your Reactions. Side effects of prescription medicines can be due to many possible causes. Contact your medical doctor if experience unusual signs and symptoms after starting the new medication. It is important to determine if a symptom was drug-related and whether or not you should continue taking the medicine.
7. Learn to recognize the signs of overdose and whether you should call a poison control center or another emergency number in the event that you or a family member experiences an overdose. Keep the emergency numbers at a place where it is in view and easily accessible.
8. It is also good to know some of the medical jargon and terminology to help you understand the writings on the prescription labels.
Some common ones are:
qd means per day
BID means twice per day
TID means three times per day
PRN means take as needed
You can buy a handy medical terminology booklet with common and abbreviations which will help you to understand medical instructions and reduce the risks of medication errors.
9. Some tips before the next doctor's visit:
- it is always a good habit to keep a list of prescription and non-prescription medications including any over-the-counter drugs you are taking and supplements. Take this list with you to every visit.
- Ask your doctor to explain your prescription, including the drug name, how often you should take it and what the purpose of the medication is.
- remember that age, weight and health status of the a person will affect the body differently and dosages will have to be adjusted accordingly, especially patients with chronic medical conditions.
10. ANother way to organize your medications is to buy a pill box organizer available in most drugstores or pharmacies. This will help you kee[track of the day and time of the medications and the dosage.
11. For the very chronically sick or disabled individuals that require part-time or full-time caretakers it might be beneficial to apply for legal Conservatorship for the individual.
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