Safe Use of Drug Prescriptions and OTC Meds
Medication Safety Tips for Seniors and Caregivers
Aug 21, 2009
Some people take a handful of pills every day without knowing what the medications are, why they are taking the drugs, or whether or not they are properly administered. Errors in medication management can result in unnecessary costs, added health problems, unexpected hospital admissions, and even death.
According to an American Heart Association article entitled “Convenience, education improves elderly’s medication adherence, blood pressure and cholesterol levels,” only about 60% of seniors take prescribed medications properly. Help improve these odds with a few simple steps below.
Bring Medications to Doctor’s Visit to Ensure That All Meds are Appropriate
Michelle Meadows' article on AtHealth.com entitled "Medication Use and Older Adults" encourages the “brown bag check-up” approach in which all medications are brought to a scheduled doctor's visit. This should be done at regular intervals as determined by the physician. The healthcare provider can check each item to ensure that it is safe and appropriate. Drugs that interact, contain duplicate ingredients, are treating a resolved problem, have a history of causing an allergic reaction in the senior, or are expired can be identified.
Questions regarding medications can also be answered at this time. Writing questions down before the visit will help to ensure that all questions are asked by the senior or caregiver. Writing down the answers can aid in recall later. The healthcare provider may also ask questions to ensure that medications are taken safely. For example, some medications should not be broken or crushed, and other medications might need to be taken at certain times related to meals.
Items to bring to the visit include:
- Prescriptions (ensure proper storage if they are refrigerated)
- Over-the-counter medications
- Herbals
- Vitamins and dietary supplements
- Topical ointments, creams, powders
Create a Written Medication Record for Safer Drug Use
Medication schedules can become quite complex when seniors are on multiple drugs. Creating a written schedule can help seniors and caregivers to keep track of times, dosages, stop dates, and more at home. Some healthcare providers provide a printout of individual patient medication schedules.
Several free online resources are available for creating an individualized written schedule for medication administration. My Pill Box helps users to create an online schedule that can be retrieved and changed as well as color pictures of each drug. MyMedSchedule helps users create a chart that can be updated and offers reminders to take medications or obtain refills. Several medication web sites also offer refill reminders and other alerts.
Communicate with Healthcare Providers to Prevent Medication Errors
Some people stop taking medications because of price, allergic reactions, unacceptable side effects, lack of education, fear of drug addiction, lack of refills, forgetfulness, and many other reasons. Immediately inform the healthcare provider of any barriers to or problems with a prescribed treatment. Those who are experiencing severe allergic reactions should seek immediate emergency care.
Choose one primary physician who is made aware of any treatment changes by specialists. Select one pharmacy at which to fill prescriptions and allow enough time for consultation with the pharmacist and to fill prescriptions or to notify the physician if additional refills are needed. The physician and pharmacist can provide detailed education regarding medications and offer directions regarding side effects, missed doses, and other information specific to that person’s health needs.
Seniors and caregivers should know the following about their medications:
- Name of the drug (brand and generic), paying careful attention if taking any “look-alike, sound-alike” meds, such as alprazolam and lorazepam
- Purpose or reason for taking the medication, including those that are only taken on an as-needed basis
- Dose (usually in mg, ml, etc.), paying particularly careful attention to dosages that differ from one dose to the next or taper or progressively increase
- Frequency (how often the drug should be taken, time of day, whether or not to take it with meals or should not be taken at the same time as other drugs)
- Route (by mouth, shot, topical application, etc.)
- Expiration date
- End date for the prescription if only taken for a designated period of time
Seniors Can Decrease Medication Errors
By having a physician to review all medications, understanding all medications taken, keeping written records, and communicating with the doctor and pharmacist, seniors can take charge of their medication management to prevent errors, which can help improve quality of life.
The information in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Consult your healthcare provider for specific medical concerns. State and federal laws should be followed regarding medication administration.
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