Our Loved Ones' Safety Is In Our Hands

As family caregivers, we can and should play a significant role in ensuring our loved ones' safety as they interact with healthcare providers. These sobering statistics tell why:

• According to the Institute of Medicine (IOM), medical error is the eighth largest cause of death in America.
• Fifty percent of family caregivers in a recent Johns Hopkins University study reported that different providers gave different diagnoses for the same set of symptoms and 62% reported that different providers gave other conflicting information. Hopkins also reported that 44% of physicians believe that poor care coordination leads to unnecessary hospitalization, and 24% stated it can lead to otherwise unnecessary nursing home stays.

That's scary news. But there are some fairly easy things that you can do to make sure that you, and your loved one, get the best - and safest - care possible, and many of them relate to medication management.

1. Always carry a complete list of medications: those prescribed by a doctor and also those you purchase without a prescription, such as vitamins and herbal supplements. These over-the-counter "meds" can interact with prescription drugs. You are probably the only one who knows all the medications your loved one is taking, especially if he/she sees multiple physicians.
2. Ask the doctor to "translate" his handwriting so you can write down exactly what a prescribed medication is, its name, dosage, etc.
3. On each medicine bottle, write down the name of the condition it treats. That could clue you in to the fact that your loved one is taking three different pills for the same condition, each prescribed by a different physician. It may be that this is exactly what is needed, but it is a good flag to alert you to ask questions.

Following these three simple rules can help you prevent problems caused by medication - what healthcare professionals call "adverse drug reactions." It is one more way that you can be a good steward of your loved one's health. It is also a good example of what it means to be a proactive family caregiver.