Medication Safety

Understand Your Medications

• Tell your doctor and nurse about all the medications you are taking including non-prescription medications, vitamins and herbal remedies.

• Always bring a current medication list with you to the hospital, clinic or your doctor’s office.

• Verify that your prescriptions are accurate (right medication and dose)

• Be sure to keep your medication list up-to-date.

• Ask your nurse about your medication(s)

  • Medication name
  • Reason you are taking medication
  • How often you should take the medication
  • Potential side effects
  • If you do not recognize the medication

• Let your doctor or nurse know if you have any allergies or have had previous reactions to any medications, foods, or latex.

• Do not take any medication that you brought into the hospital from home, unless told to do so by your doctor or hospital staff.

• At the end of your visit, you will be given a list of current medications to take home. Review this list and ask questions if you do not understand what a medication is, or why you are taking the medication. Bring your current list with you to your next doctor’s appointment and throw away any old list that are not current.