5 Tips for Avoiding Medication Errors
Picture the Rose Bowl filled to capacity. This teeming crowd of over 100,000 fans represents the staggering number of people who die each year because of medication errors. Add to this another 1.5 million people who get sick, and it’s easy to see how medication errors are considered the most common form of medical error.
How to Avoid Medication Errors
It’s your doctor’s responsibility to prescribe you the correct medication at the proper dosage. But as a health-care consumer, it’s your job to remain vigilant. Here are are some simple steps we can all take to protect against medication errors. And as always, if you have any questions about your medication, immediately speak to your doctor or pharmacist.
1. Confirm your prescription
When your doctor hands you a new prescription, he or she will write it on a pad or, more and more, log it into a computer. At this important first step, make sure to repeat the name of the medication and its dosage to your doctor. This insures that you have heard the doctor correctly and that you understand your prescription. Many different types of medications can sound similar but have drastically different effects. This is why it is important to know what medication you have been prescribed, how much to take, and why it is the right one for your condition.
2. Check your dosage
The next step is to go over the prescription form with your doctor before giving it to your pharmacist. This insures that you know what to expect and can ask the right questions of your pharmacist if you think there’s a problem. It’s important to maintain the same vigilance at the pharmacy that you had in your doctor’s office because errors can take place at multiple points throughout the process. This advice also holds true for a hospital stay: if your doctor gives you a prescription, be sure to note the dosage and confirm it with the nurse before your medication is administered.
3. Make your doctor aware of your other medications
As a patient, it’s vital that you and your family members are aware of all potential drug interactions. Drug interactions can have a range side effects–many of which are mild, but some of which can be severe, or even lethal. Let your doctor know if you are taking any medications in addition to the one which he or she has prescribed. Don’t assume that your doctor knows. This step is even more vital for those of you who frequent more than one doctor.
4. Make your pharmacist aware of your other medications
In keeping with the previous recommendation, make sure that your pharmacist is also aware of any medications you are currently taking. Your pharmacist is a valuable line of defense in preventing harmful drug interactions. When possible, frequent the same pharmacy because it will already have your records.
5. Be careful of taking medications with similar effects
For instance, if you’re taking a pain killer and an anti-anxiety pill, the combination could cause what is known as a double sedation effect. Despite the fact that two medications may treat entirely different conditions, they may both contribute to a similar effect on your body. Always look for any indication on your over-the-counter medications that they might make you dizzy, sleepy, drowsy, or sedate.
The common thread that ties these guidelines together is communication. It’s important that you keep an open line of communication with your doctor, your pharmacist, and even your friends and family who might be helping you to keep track of your medications. Given the harmful consequences of what could happen, you have to be very assertive about getting as much information as possible and–more importantly–confirming that the information you have is correct.
