When patients are discharged from a hospital they are frequently given new medications and instructions. A new study shows that many people, especially heart patients, make medication mistakes while they are recovering at home. When contacted by phone, more than half of the patients were not taking their medicines as prescribed. This suggests that providers must do a better job communicating during discharge and following up afterwards.
[Mayo Clinic Proceedings, online July 3, 2014]
The researchers note that patients with less health literacy or numeracy were especially prone to mistakes regarding their new regimens. The People’s Pharmacy perspective is that health care providers need to take extra care with patients who may be less informed or engaged, and not blame problems interpreting complicated instructions on the patient.
We offer several check lists of questions patients can ask for greater safety in our paperback book, Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them. Look for it in your library or online.
