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Posts Tagged ‘Medication Errors’

Medical science has progressed greatly in the last century. It is a boon for all mankind. Health care services are now available locally and some organizations also provide medicines and treatment at very low costs for the needy. Researchers and doctors play their role in the development and provision of health care services. But we, that is the common man also have a large role to play in ensuring that we get the right treatment at the right time. Celebrity deaths like the death of Heath Ledger and Michael Jackson due to wrong or excessive medication have highlighted the need of safe medical practices. Let’s see how medical practitioners and we can work hand in hand to ensure better quality and accurate treatment for all.

Let us first have a look at some terminologies. Medicine is an art which has been developed for treating humans to keep them fit. A medicinal drug is a chemical which when consumed causes changes in normal bodily functions that help in curing the patient. An adverse drug reaction occurs when the consumed drugs cause reactions which are harmful to the body. A drug interaction occurs when a substance affects the activity of a drug, i.e. the effects are increased or decreased, or they produce a new effect that neither produces on its own. There are three types of drug interactions, the first is between two drugs, the second is between a drug and food and the third is between drugs and herbs. A medication error is an error in the correct diagnosis of patients’ ailment or an incomplete diagnosis of the patients’ disease which leads to incorrect medicines being given to him. A medicine list/drug card/medication card is an authorized complete list of medicines or drugs that the doctor prescribes to the patient for his ailment. This card or list can then be used by the patient to buy the drugs from the local chemist or pharmacy.

Creating and maintaining a medication record is of utmost importance for medication safety and proves useful in a medical emergency.
This record allows you to list all the medicines you take, including over-the-counter drugs and herbal supplements, the quantity of the doses, and how and when you take them. Your doctor should always have one record maintained with him. If you happen to consult more than one doctor for the same or different ailments, the doctors should be shown all the records so that they are aware of all the medicines you happen to consume. If possible maintain a list at the pharmacy you buy medicines from. Keep a copy with one of your loved ones also. Keep one in your wallet and at home. If you happen to take or stop any medicines, the changes should be immediately updated. Do record any drug allergies, side effects and sensitivities that you may have.
When the doctors are giving you medicines they will check if there are any other drugs which may cause an adverse drug reaction in your body. Also they can advice you about the kind of diet you have to follow, substances that can or cannot be consumed in case they react with the drugs he has prescribed for you. Keeping a wallet card on which your medication list, personal information like blood group and a history of your ailments is mentioned is useful in case you are badly injured and need immediate medical attention. After all, prevention is better than cure.

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