Medication mistakes injure well over 1.5 million Americans every year, and at least a quarter of the errors are preventable, according to the Institute of Medicine. The institute offers the following consumer tips for avoiding medication errors:
Maintain a list of prescription and nonprescription drugs, vitamins and other dietary supplements you use. Take that list with you whenever you visit a health care provider. Ask your doctor to write down the drug's name, dose and how to take it. At the pharmacy, make sure those instructions match what's on the bottle you're given. You can ask both the doctor and pharmacist about side effects and how to use the drug. Pharmacies often maintain computer records that can flag drugs that will interact dangerously, if you fill all your prescriptions at the same chain. Information leaflets usually come with prescription drugs, but ask the pharmacist for one if you don't receive it. If your pills look different when they're refilled, don't assume the maker changed the size or color — ask the pharmacist why. You could have been given the wrong drug or dose. At the hospital, ask the doctor and nurse what drugs you're being given, why and what effects to expect. Before surgery, ask if there are any medicines you should avoid or stop taking beforehand. Prior to hospital discharge, ask for a list of medications you should be taking at home and how to take them. In the hospital, you have the right to have a relative or other surrogate present whenever you receive medication and cannot monitor that process yourself.