Pharmacists Recommend Use Of Personal Medication Lists For Safety

Main Category: Public Health
Also Included In: Pharmacy / Pharmacist
Article Date: 19 Oct 2007 - 7:00 PDT

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People rely on lists to keep track of their work assignments, exercise regimens, and items to pick up at the grocery store. The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) recommends that the public add another list-a record of all the medicines that they are taking.

With the growing reliance on and complexity of medication therapy, a medication list is an effective tool to help prevent medication errors. The list can help facilitate conversations between patients and their health care providers and is particularly helpful to have on hand during emergency department visits.

"I can't tell you how many patients come to hospitals and can't recall the names and dosages of their medicines. Sometimes all the information we get is what color their pills are," said ASHP President Janet A. Silvester, MBA, FASHP. "We hope that patients will use a medication list to share this important information with their health care providers."

ASHP recommends that a medication list include:

- The patient's personal information,

- Details about allergies and other medicine-related problems,

- A list of all current medicines that the patient uses, including prescription, over-the-counter, dietary supplement, and herbal medicines,

- Information on the amount used, frequency of use and how each is taken, and o Name of health care provider who prescribed or recommended the medication.

Patients should update the list regularly and bring it to all medical visits to review with their doctor and pharmacist.

ASHP recently partnered with the ASHP Research & Education Foundation to create "My Medicine List," a comprehensive tool to facilitate discussions between patients and health care professionals. The list is the result of a multidisciplinary summit sponsored by the two groups in June where participants agreed upon a "best standard" for patient medication lists and strategies for using these tools to ensure high-quality patient care.

"My Medicine List," which is available at ASHP's consumer Web site, http://www.SafeMedication.com//meds/medForm.cfm, was developed through a sponsorship received from sanofi-aventis, US, LLC.

About ASHP

For more than 60 years, ASHP has helped pharmacists who practice in hospitals and health systems improve medication use and enhance patient safety. The Society's 30,000 members include pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who practice in inpatient, outpatient, home-care, and long-term-care settings, as well as pharmacy students. For more information about the wide array of ASHP activities and the many ways in which pharmacists help people make the best use of medicines, visit ASHP's Web site, http://www.ashp.org, or its consumer Web site, http://www.SafeMedication.com.

About the ASHP Foundation

The ASHP Research and Education Foundation was established in 1968 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists as a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. The mission of the Foundation is to improve the health and well-being of patients in hospitals and health systems through appropriate, safe and effective medication use. The Foundation provides leadership and conducts education and research activities that foster the coordination of interdisciplinary medication management leading to optimal patient outcomes. Emphasis is given to programs that will have a major impact on advancing pharmacy practice in hospitals and health systems, thereby improving public health.

http://www.ashp.org

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