A Medicine List Every Consumer Needs

Danielle Tice , PharmD Candidate Class of 2010

South Carolina College of Pharmacy at the University of South Carolina

Prepared during Consumer Health Information Corporation Clerkship

McLean, VA

What is in your wallet?

√ Money

√ Credit Cards

√ Driver’s license

√ Insurance cards

But do you keep a list of your medicines in your wallet?

The odds are you do not. A recent consumer survey showed only 28 percent of people carry a medicine list with them at all times. The other 72 percent of people that do not carry a medicine list put themselves at risk for potentially serious medicine errors. For instance:

Scenario 1: You have just been in a car accident and knocked unconscious. You are brought to the emergency room. The emergency room team looks in your wallet for your identification and any information about your medical history. But they cannot find a list of your medicines, allergies, or health conditions. The doctor gives you a medicine to help save your life. But you have a serious allergic reaction to the medicine. Because of this allergic reaction, you stay two extra days in the hospital and spend an extra $2,000 of your money. There was an alternate medicine you could have received if they had known your medicine allergies. The emergency room team could have given you a different medicine if you only had carried a list of your medicines and allergies.

 

Scenario 2:  You see two different doctors. Both doctors give you prescriptions. You feel rushed during the appointments and forget to tell the doctors all the medicines you are taking. You have a serious drug interaction that puts you in the hospital. Not only do you have to pay for the doctors’ visits and the prescriptions, but you also have to pay a hospital bill. The doctors could have prevented the serious drug interaction if you had brought your medicine list to the appointments.   

 

Scenario 3: It is the holiday season. You go out of town to visit family for the week. Arriving at your destination, you realize you forgot all your medicines. You do not know all the medicines you take or your doctor’s or pharmacy’s phone number. It takes you 3 days to get your medicines. You wasted half of your vacation with your family because you didn’t have a medicine list.     

What is the Solution?

These days, consumers use many different doctors and pharmacies for their medicines.   Keeping up with your medicines can be stressful and confusing. This confusion has led to errors. The Institute of Medicine in 2006 estimated there are at least 1.5 million people harmed by preventable adverse drug events in the United States each year. These errors were made by knowledgeable health care providers. If at least 1.5 million people are suffering from medicine errors made by knowledgeable health care providers, imagine how many people are making medicine errors at home.

Informed and involved consumers may decrease their risk of experiencing a medication error. You can protect yourself by carrying a current list of your medicines. This list is the easiest way to have your medicine information at your fingertips.

What is a Medicine List?

The medicine list is not new. Health care providers and consumers have used it for years. This list has been called a medicine list, universal medication form, medicine record, or medicine card.

It is a chart to help you keep a current record of your:

• Prescription medicines
• Over-the-counter medicines
• Vitamins
• Herbal supplements and natural remedies

 The medicine list can also help you keep track of your:

• Medicine, food or insect allergies
• Immunizations
• Health conditions
• Personal contact information
• Emergency contact information
• Your doctor and pharmacy contact information

Why Do I Need this Medicine List?

The answer is simple. This medicine list could save your life.

In the emergency room, having a medicine list with your medicines and allergies can help health care providers take care of you. You may not be able to give them the information they need because you are too flustered or unconscious. If the emergency room doctors do not know what medicines you are taking, they could give you a medicine that could cause serious unexpected problems. Having a medicine list could prevent these errors from happening to you.

You may have a planned hospital stay for surgeries or medical tests. A medicine list would make the admission process easier and safer for you and your health care providers. One study showed that 54 percent of patients had at least one unintended discrepancy in their admission medication history when admitted to a hospital. Of these people, 39 percent of the problems could have caused moderate to severe problems for the patient. If these people had carried a current medicine list, they could have avoided these medical problems.

When going home from a hospital stay, your medicines may have changed. It can be confusing knowing what and how to take your new medicines. This gives you a chance to ask questions about your medicines. Having your medicine list empowers you to know what and how to take your medications properly.

Your medicine list is useful in day-to-day life. How many different doctors do you see a year? How many doctor’s visits do you have a year? At how many different pharmacies do you fill your medicines? Taking the list with you to the doctor, pharmacy, and hospital will improve communication with your health care providers. They would use your medicine list to avoid any medicine duplicates or medicine reactions.  This would save you time by reducing confusion about what medicines you are taking. Also, it could save you the cost of correcting a medical error.

Where Do I Get Started?

1. Find a medicine list. Do a Google or Yahoo search. Use the terms universal medication form or medication form. You will find many different options. Make sure you pick a form that works for you. The list should at least include:

• Medicine information
• Medicine name (brand and generic name)
• Strength of medicine (be careful with the decimal points)
• Directions for how and when to take
• Reason for taking the medicine
• Date the medicine is started and/or stopped
• Doctor who prescribed the medicine and their contact number
• Allergies to medicines, foods, and/or insects
• Immunization record

If you do not have a computer or printer, ask your local pharmacist or doctor’s office if they have copies. Also, health fairs usually have copies.

2. Print out the form.

3. Fill out the form. Ask your doctor, pharmacist, nurse, or family member to help you.

4. Always keep the form with you. Put it behind your license. Many times emergency personnel look
for identification and medical information in your wallet.

5. Keep a copy at home. Your wallet could be stolen or lost. Put the copy with your medical records.

7. Keep your list updated. Write down all the medication changes when they happen.

The Medicine List You Need

© 2009 Consumer Health Information Corporation. All rights reserved.