Many drug names look alike or sound alike, even to doctors and pharmacists. In fact, medication dispensing errors involving confused drug names occur about 1 percent of the time at retail pharmacies. This may seem like a small percentage, but that 1 percent translates to approximately 30 million of the 3 billion prescriptions filled at U.S. pharmacies each year. Mistakes at the pharmacy can lead to serious consequences if they’re not caught right away.
Taking the wrong drug can produce negative side effects or can even cause unsafe interactions with other medications. To help prevent potential errors, follow these safety tips whenever you fill prescriptions at retail pharmacies:
- Eyeball it: Open the bottle at the pharmacy and show the contents to your pharmacist. Make sure the medication looks correct to both of you.
- Take your time: When filling a new prescription, allow your pharmacist to provide detailed information about the drug.
- Practice teach-back: Do you understand the medication dosage and instructions? Test yourself by explaining the information back to
your pharmacist, or even demonstrating how you will follow the instructions.
- Share your story: Doctors don’t write your diagnosis on your prescription, so usually pharmacists don’t know why you’re taking a particular drug. Unless you tell them. If you don’t consider it too private, consider sharing your diagnosis with your pharmacist. It’s one more piece of information they can use to prevent mix-ups.
With these simple techniques, you can help prevent medication errors that can cause serious health problems.
Sources: Institute for Safe Medication Practices, National Patient Safety Foundation
Taking the wrong drug can produce negative side effects or can even cause unsafe interactions with other medications. To help prevent potential errors, follow these safety tips whenever you fill prescriptions at retail pharmacies:
- Eyeball it: Open the bottle at the pharmacy and show the contents to your pharmacist. Make sure the medication looks correct to both of you.
- Take your time: When filling a new prescription, allow your pharmacist to provide detailed information about the drug.
- Practice teach-back: Do you understand the medication dosage and instructions? Test yourself by explaining the information back to
your pharmacist, or even demonstrating how you will follow the instructions.
- Share your story: Doctors don’t write your diagnosis on your prescription, so usually pharmacists don’t know why you’re taking a particular drug. Unless you tell them. If you don’t consider it too private, consider sharing your diagnosis with your pharmacist. It’s one more piece of information they can use to prevent mix-ups.
With these simple techniques, you can help prevent medication errors that can cause serious health problems.
Sources: Institute for Safe Medication Practices, National Patient Safety Foundation
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