19 – 25 August 2022
Do you have a complete record of all the medication you are taking? Do you understand what they do and what the active ingredient is? Do you know what the right information to keep and the right questions to ask?
Be Medicinewise Week is an annual health awareness week led by NPS MedicineWise (National Prescribing Service). Medicinewise week is all about knowing and understanding your medication and being better informed so you can get the most out of them – safely.
“Every year, more than 230,000 Australians are admitted to hospital due to mismanagement of over-the-counter and prescription medication.” (Source: NPS Medicinewise 2019.)
So how do you be medicine wise?
It’s easy to be medicine wise. Do your homework when it comes to medicines you take.
Painaustralia, supported NPS MedicineWise in asking people to:
- Know all the medicines you take and why you take them. Do your homework. Not only prescribed medications but all medications including over the counter and supplements. Research the active ingredient so you understand how it works.
- Understand the instructions of how to take a medicine. Read the labels and packaging on all medicines. Use dosing devices to ensure accurate measurements
- Check with your health professional before starting a new medicine or safely stopping use
- Ask if you have any questions. How and when to take them, are there any side effects, how the react with other medicines you may be taking?
- Make a list of all the medicines you take to keep track. This is extremely important for all those involved in your health care.
(Source: painaustralia 2019.)
Every day, Australians are gambling with their health by either ignoring, not being informed or not taking the necessary precautions regarding their medication. This can lead to serious problems. Whether it’s prescribed medication, over-the-counter medication or health supplements, you need to be aware of their potential risks, instructions and side effects.
How will a medicine list help me?
- Have a complete list of all medicines you are currently taking. This is extremely helpful for all of those involved in your health care.
- Provide vital information about your medicines in an emergency
- Remind you of when to take them and how much. (Set alarms to remind you)
- A complete list of what each medicine is for
- Get better results from the medicines you take
So now that you’ve decided to start a medicine list, you may be asking yourself what’s the best way to do this? You can do this in a number of ways.
- Create a paper list that you will keep with you at all times.
- List all the medications you take
- What each medicine is for
- Dosage
- When and how to take it.
- Add the details to your smart phone using the MedicineWise smartphone app.
How ever you choose to create your medicine list, just remember to keep it updated and carry it with you at all times.
(Source: NPS Medicinewise . nps.org.au)