Medication Management
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Med-Check: Medication review materials - a health partnership between physicians and older adults.
Brought to you by the WSMA. Includes a brown bag, plus a brochure with a tear-out medication checklist. How to order.
Take the checklist plus your medications to each doctor you visit to update your medication record when a new prescription is prescribed.
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Other information for the general public on managing medications:
Washington Patient Safety Coalition's My Medicine List
My Medicine List is a campaign intended to build public awareness of the need for patients to take an active role in managing their medications. Sponsored by the Washington Patient Safety Coalition (WPSC), the initiative’s goal is for every person to maintain an up-to-date list of every medication he or she is using and to share it with his or her health care provider during each and every visit.
A medicine list is a record of all prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, herbals, supplements, minerals, ointments and vitamins that you use. This list should be shared with your doctor, nurse practitioner, pharmacist, physician assistant, naturopath and dentist every time you visit them.
Why Should I Carry a Medicine List?
Fact: 7,000 people die each year in the U.S from preventable errors having to do with medicines while under hospital care (Institute of Medicine Report 2001).
Fact: 82 percent of U.S. adults and 56 percent of children take at least one medicine daily. 29 percent of adults take five or more medicines daily, and 27 percent of children take two or more (Boston University 2006).
Fact: Half of all potential major drug-drug interactions involve a nonprescription medicine. Physicians often don’t know about their patients’ nonprescription medicine use because they do not ask patients, patients don’t tell their doctors, or both (Journal of the American Medical Association 2002).
Take action by keeping a list of all your medicines. People taking care of loved ones (parents, children, neighbors, other relatives) should also keep a list of those medicines, and share it with health care providers.
You should carry a medicine list because this simple action can make health care safer and more effective, and can even save a life.
Visit the My Medicine List website for more information.
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