Faculty of Allied Health Sciences > Pharmacy

Tips to avoid medication errors at home

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sharifa:
Tips to avoid medication errors at home:

•   Keep your prescription medicines locked up so that kids cannot get them.
•   Pin up your doctor’s prescription next to your bed and read it each time you take your medications. This will help prevent accidental overdose.
•   Note the expiry dates of medications; if a medication is nearing expiry, mark a huge red X on it.
•   If your pharmacy issues expired medications to you by mistake, bring this to your health provider’s notice.
•   Never take another person’s prescription even if you have a similar problem.
•   Always monitor your children when they take their prescriptions.
•   Don’t retain left over prescription medications to use later if the same symptoms occur. Always consult your doctor each time.
•   Throw out any medication that’s gone past its expiration date.
•   Do not store any medications for which you’ve lost the prescriptions.
•   Always find out about the medication you’ve been prescribed, its purpose and dosage.
•   Understand the drug directions; how many times a day, and how many hours apart are you supposed to take a drug?
•   Find out if the drug should be stored in the fridge or at room temperature
•   Find out if you need to avoid medications, food items and beverages
•   Find out if there are any side effects of the medication and what you should do to manage them
•   When you give medication to your kids, read the drug name, dosage and prescription each time.
•   Make sure only one member of your family is in charge of dispensing medications to your children.
•   Always use the measuring spoon that accompanies the medicine and not your kitchen spoons.
•   Use compliance aids such as medicine containers with dosage based sections for daily doses. This will keep you from mixing up your medications.
•   Report all medications you are currently taking including OTC drugs, diet supplements, and herbs and so on. Some of the medications you’re taking might reduce the effect of a prescription medication.
•   Use a single pharmacy for all your prescriptions to ensure your records are in one place.
•   Your doctor and your pharmacy should know about your medication allergies and any unpleasant drug reactions.

maruppharm:
Medication error is  a common problem specially those who are illiterate.

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