A common danger for patients is medication error—taking too many, too few, or the wrong medication. This can be very serious and lead to complications, such as admission to the hospital and in the most extreme case, death.

“One of the 2007 National Patient Safety Goals is to encourage patients’ active involvement in their own care as a patient safety strategy,” said J. Lawrence Ginsburg, MD, the Hospital’s Vice President-Medical Affairs. “At Evangelical Community Hospital, we are working toward increased involvement of patients in their care. Good communication between patients and caregivers is where it starts.”

Medication errors occur when patients do not follow instructions for taking their medication. They can also happen if information is not relayed accurately. Randy Strausser, RPh, Director of Evangelical’s HomeCare Pharmacy, said “Medication errors have been in the spotlight because of several national studies that have been published. Medication reconciliation has been identified as a National Patient Safety Goal and as an important program to eliminate errors that occur during the transition of care.” This includes errors that often occur when patients enter the hospital, move from one facility to another, leave the hospital to go home, or anytime medications are started or stopped.

Hospital caregivers can help reduce errors during these transitions through medication reconciliation, a process in which a patient’s home medication list is reviewed and compared with what the physician has ordered. However, caregivers also need your help to complete the medication reconciliation process and help prevent medication errors.

Here are some simple things that you can do to assist with medication safety. Start by making and keeping a list of all your medications.

The list should include:

• names of all your medications
• dosages
• the times you take each medication
• the way you take each medication (by mouth, injection, etc.)
• why you take the medication and
• any allergies and intolerances, and the reaction you experienced

Include non-prescription medications such as herbal supplements, vitamins, eye drops, patches, ointments, inhalers, and over-the-counter medications like antacids, laxatives, and analgesics. It is important to list the number of tablets, capsules, puffs, or drops you take at one time.

“Caregivers at the Hospital need to obtain an accurate and complete medication history from every patient. It is our goal at Evangelical to promote the use of medication wallet cards throughout our medical community. We encourage everyone to have one,” Strausser said. They are available through Evangelical’s Community Health Education program and at the HomeCare Pharmacy. You can also download a copy now by clicking here.

Once you have completed a card, keep your medication list current. Change the information on your list each time you start or stop taking a tell your doctor immediately. If you are given a medication in the hospital, make sure you know what it is and why you need it. When you go home from the hospital, get your healthcare instructions in writing and make sure you understand how to follow them before you leave. If not, ask your doctor or nurse for more information.

Safe medication use is a partnership between you and your healthcare provider. When you take an active role, your outcome is likely to be better.