Preventing medication errors

Medication error, especially in the home is a major issue that has become a menace in the society. Indeed, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has stated that medication errors cause at least one death every day and injure approximately 1.3 million people annually in the United States alone.

While some errors are intentional; drug overdose to get high or enforce certain conditions of sleep or alertness, majority are sincere mistakes on the part of the victims.

And while every individual at a point in time takes medicine for healing or prevention of ailments, medicines can cause major harm if wrongly taken; consuming the wrong medication or wrong dose.

Such errors can be on the part of health workers in prescribing or dispensing and also from patients and should be prevented to save lives and money.

More people are facing health challenges due to medication errors in their homes and the most common symptoms in cases of serious medication errors include drowsiness or lethargy, low blood pressure, an abnormally fast or slow heart rate, and dizziness or vertigo.

It is therefore important that drug packaging and labeling be distinct and clearer as part of efforts to reduce medication errors.

It is possible to prevent medication errors at home irrespective of the prevailing circumstances if some of the following steps are taken:

• Separate drugs that look alike.
• Colour code medication for easy identification.
• Retain packages to ensure individuality.
• Double check.
• If possible, don’t change brands without expert advice.
• Ensure to write down the time a child or loved one is given medication so that another caregiver won’t repeat medication.
• Ensure you retain prescription bottles so you can easily read instructions.
• If you transfer medications from prescription bottles to weekly pill planners, make sure to use a child-resistant pill planner to prevent children from accidentally taking the medications.
• Keep medications out of reach of children
• It is also important not to store useless medications at home or keep medication in a pack meant for another medication.