Do you take prescription medication, over the counter medications or herbal supplements?
Do you have with you at all times a complete list of everything you take including dosage, how often you take the medication and what the medication was prescribed for?
If not, you are significantly increasing your chances of a medication error.
To encourage everyone to keep a current medication list with them at all times, Medical City Plano has joined the Medication Safety Project: Educate Before You Medicate. A coalition formed by the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council (DFWHC) is working to make it easy for consumers to develop and maintain medication lists. Partners include the American Heart Association, Blue Cross Blue Shield, CVS/pharmacy, Dallas and Tarrant County Medical Societies, Humana, UnitedHealthcare, Visiting Nurse Association, and Walgreens.
The Institute of Medicine’s Committee on Identifying and Preventing Medication errors estimates that poor communication is responsible for half the of the 1.5 million medication errors that result in injuries annually.
The partners involved in this project want consumers to have a list of all of their medications and to provide that list each time they receive health care. The list can be a handwritten list, a computer generated list, or maintained on a list such as a Universal Medication Form.
For more information on Medication Safety, visit the website for the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)—the nation's only nonprofit organization of pharmacists, nurses, and doctors devoted entirely to safe medication practices. Preventing medication errors is no longer just a responsibility for health professionals—consumers like you can also play a vital role.
We are committed to patient safety and have made it a top priority at Medical City Plano. Click on the link below to learn how you can become an active participant in your healthcare.
Medication Safety Alerts help you remain current on medications, error reporting and news with the Institute For Safe Medical Practices.