Southern California Library Literacy Network
Literacy Conference: March 2009
Highlights - Notes - Related Information
Pharmacy Literacy, Strand 1
by Ron Scott, AVP-St Joseph Health System
-some related info & links to:
'What Everyone Needs to Know About Their Prescription Medicines'
Protecting U.S. Citizens from Inappropriate Medication Use
(excerpt from ISMP Call to Action White Paper)
An increasing number of U.S. consumers are taking medications.
2 out of every 3 patients who visit a doctor leave with at least 1 prescription for medication, leading to a record volume of nearly 3.4 billion prescriptions dispensed in 2005. This is an increase of nearly 60% since 1995.
~ 81% of adults in the U.S. take at least 1 medication during a given week and 27% take at least 5.
~ When used safely, medications contribute to better health and to a longer and greater quality of life. However, a vast number of Americans take prescription medications without being fully informed about the associated risks, contraindications, and adverse effects.
~ Misuse of medications can interfere with desired treatment and cause harmful reactions. In the year 2000, the annual costs of drug-related illness and death in ambulatory care settings alone were estimated at more than $177 billion.
~ The most common types of medication misuse include:
• Taking the incorrect dose
• Taking a dose at the wrong time
• Forgetting to take a dose
• Stopping medicine too soon
Stop — Learn — Go —
Tips for Talking with Your Pharmacist to Learn How to Use Medicines Safely
Center for Drug Evaluation & Research, FDA
Learn how to use your prescription and over-the-counter medicines safely and to increase the benefits and decrease the risks. You can also use these tips when talking with your other healthcare professionals.
Strategies To Improve Communication Between Pharmacy Staff and Patients Training Program for Pharmacy Staff - Curriculum Guide
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
designed to introduce pharmacists to the problem of low health literacy in patient populations and to identify the implications of this problem for the delivery of health care services.
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