Patients can prevent medication errors by being alert and involved in their medical care. They should ask about the drug name, dosage, and purpose, request full prescriptions, check medications, provide complete information, and ask questions in hospitals. Reporting adverse side effects is also important.
There are a number of steps individual consumers can take to avoid medication errors. Many of these steps simply involve being more alert and involved in medical care, and consumers should never be afraid to talk about something that confuses or worries them. Even if a patient feels uncomfortable questioning a healthcare provider, many medication errors could be prevented by careful consumers, and healthcare professionals appreciate it when patients ask questions, even if no error has occurred.
Whenever a drug is prescribed, the patient should ask what the drug is called, what it is used for, the dosage, and how it should be taken. The patient should also request that the doctor write the prescription in full, rather than using abbreviations, and that the doctor write the purpose of the prescription on the pad. This can prevent many medication errors by ensuring the pharmacist clearly understands what is being prescribed and why.
When patients pick up their prescriptions, they need to check that the drug name is correct and that the indications look familiar. If anything doesn’t look or sound right, it should be brought to the attention of your pharmacist. Patients receiving refills should also notify the pharmacist if the medication looks different; medications are often color-coded to indicate different dosages, for example, so getting pink pills when purple pills are expected could actually be a serious problem.
Patients should confirm that their doctors and pharmacists have a complete list of all medications they are taking, including prescriptions, over-the-counter medications such as aspirin, and supplements. Patients should also ensure that their medical conditions are clearly listed as well. Incomplete patient information is a common cause of medication errors, making it important for patients to confirm that their care providers have all of their information.
In the hospital, preventing medication errors can be more difficult because patients may not be able to speak for themselves or may feel that their care providers need to know what they are doing at all times. While medical professionals in hospital settings are highly trained and very careful, they can make mistakes and sometimes being forthright can prevent a medication error.
Whenever a drug is given in the hospital, the patient or an advocate such as a family member should ask what the drug is called, why it is given, what the dosage is, and how often it should be given. They should also ensure that all medications are recorded in the patient’s medical record. Patients should also report any adverse side effects they experience immediately, as the occurrence of side effects could indicate that a medication error has occurred.
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