It is critical to take your medications to recover properly. Our nurse’s help patients make sure they are taking the right medicine and the right dosage, at the right time, and according to the doctor’s orders. This includes organizing medicines and setting up reminders to keep patients on track.
Improper Use of Medications Can Cause:
• Negative symptoms and side effects
• Confusion
• Memory loss
• Increased risk for falls
• Re-admissions to the hospital or nursing home
We also partner with each patient’s doctor to make sure medicines are working and controlling symptoms appropriately. If a patient’s health status changes, the nurse will contact the doctor immediately. This allows the patient’s care team to make changes in medication or adjust a doctor’s orders in a timely manner.
Medication Management Services:
• Follow doctor’s order and create a medication schedule
• Review medication regimen
• Create complete list of all prescribed and over-the-counter medicines the patient is taking
• Educate patient and/or caregiver on proper dosage, frequency and side effects
• Evaluate response to medications and effectiveness
• Communicate with patient’s doctor for optimum outcome
Medicine Safety Tips
• Check the label and expiration date on all medicines before taking
• Tell the visiting nurse or therapist if the patient begins or stops any medicines
• Keep all caps on medicine bottles and away from children and pets
• Do not mix medicines in the same bottle
• Keep medicine, including pills and IV bags, away from sunlight
• Store medicines at the correct temperature
• Tell the visiting nurse, doctor or pharmacist if you see any changes in the medicine’s color, size or smell
• Keep the Poison Control Center phone number (800-222-1222) near the phone
• Refrigerated Medicines:
o Keep medicines at the correct temperature in the refrigerator
o Do not freeze them
o Keep cold foods and medicine away from each other
o If several medicines are in the refrigerator, keep them away from each other
• Make sure the light in the refrigerator is working
• Keep an up-to-date list of medicines the patient is currently taking
Keep a Medicine List
People should always keep a list of the medicines that they are taking. Use Medicine list worksheet to keep track of medicines.
• Add new medicines if the doctor adds a new prescription
• Make a note if the doctor changes the dose or the way the medicine is taken
• Cross off old medicines if the doctor says to stop taking them
• Take the medicine list with you when visiting a doctor or are going to the hospital