Your Medicine: Play it Safe

Your Health Care Team

• Doctors, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals

• Nurses• Pharmacists

Use the link below for a medical record form to keep track of your doctors and pharmacy.

www.mlanet.org/resources/consumers_senior/your_meds_playing_it_safe.pdf

Play it Safe Tips

1. Give your health care team important information

2. Get the facts about your medicine

3. Stay with your treatment plan

4. Keep a record of your medicines

1. Give your health care team important information

Tell your health care team about:– Prescription medication– Medicines you can buy without a prescription

(aspirin, antacids, laxatives, or cough medicine)– Vitamins and dietary supplements (St. John’s

Wort or gingko biloba)

Use the medical record form below to keep track of your doctors and pharmacy.

www.mlanet.org/resources/consumers_senior/your_meds_playing_it_safe.pdf

Also tell your team about:

• Medicine allergies or if you’ve had problems with a medicine in the past

• Other doctors who have prescribed medicine for you or have suggested you take vitamins or herbal supplements

• Other illnesses or medical conditions

• Cost concerns

2. Get the facts about your medicine

• Be informed• Read the prescription• Know what your medicine is for• Ask Questions

– Talk to your doctor or pharmacist– Write down questions before your appointment

Use the attached medical record form to keep track of your doctors and pharmacy.

Tips

• Write down your questions• Take notes• Bring a friend or family member• Try to use the same pharmacy• Read and save patient information• Keep a list• Make a copy of your list• Use the attached form to keep track of

your medications and supplements

3. Stay With Your Treatment Plan

• Take all your medications

• Ask your doctor about refills

• Tell your doctor about side effects

• Never give your prescription medicine to others

• Ask if you need tests to find out if your medicine is working

Tips – You Can Get Help

• Nurses

• Friends and Family can: – Visit the doctor with you– Talk to a pharmacist for you– Call you to remind you to take your

medicine – Keep a record of what you take and

when you take it

4. Keep a Record of Your Medicines

• Keeping a detailed record of your medications is important to you and your health care team

• Use the attached form to keep track of your medications and supplements

Source: Your Medicine: Play it Safe. Patient Guide. AHRQ Publication No. 03-0019, February 2003. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD, and the National Council on Patient Information and Education, Bethesda, MD. http://www.ahrg.gov/consumer/safemeds/safemeds.htm (accessed August 2, 2006.

What Makes Health Information “Good”?

And where can I find it?

Medical Resources on the Web

• Medical websites can be:– Valuable– Unreliable or have missing information

• Some simple questions can help you know the difference between “good” and “bad” medical websites.

10 Things to Know about Evaluating Medical Resources on the Web

1. Who runs the site?

2. Who pays for the site?

3. What is the purpose of the site?

4. Where does the information come from?

5. What is the basis of the information?

6. How is the information selected?

7. How current is the information?

8. How does the site choose links to other sites?

9. What information about you does the site collect and why?

10.How does the site manage interactions with visitors?

Source: NCCAM Publication No. D142 http://nccam.nih.gov/health/webresources/, created February 19, 2002, accessed August 7, 2006.

Health Information on the Internet: Where do I begin?

• Medline Plus

• Medline Plus: Drugs, Supplements, and Herbal Information

– Maintained by the Federal Government– Free– Remember, always discuss any new

information with a health care professional

MedLine Plus

MedLine Plus

Getting a Prescription

Quick Tips

Questions to Ask When You are Prescribed a New Medication

• What is the name of the medicine?

• What is it supposed to do?

• Is it okay to substitute a less-expensive generic medicine?

• What is the dose?

• Are there possible side effects?

• How many refills do I get?

More Questions…

• What should I do If I miss a dose?

• What should I do if I accidentally take more than the recommended dose?

• Is there any written information I can take home with me?

Give the Doctor this information when he provides a new medication:

• Names of all your medications

• Any concerns you have

• If you are allergic to any medication

• If you have any side effects from a medication that has been prescribed to you

Follow-Up Appointment Questions

• Any problems you are having

• Any side effects

• Any new prescriptions you have started taking

• How you are feeling since you have started the medication

Source: Quick Tips – When Getting a Prescription. AHRQ Publication No. 01-0040c, May 2002. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrg.gov/consumer/quicktips/tippresearch.htm (accessed August 2, 2006)