Tips to Help Promote Patient Medication Safety

During your stay, you can expect to receive the five rights:

To receive the right drug.
Given by the right route, (mouth, IM.IV, etc.)
The right dose.
At the right time.
To the right patient.

Patient Rights
During your stay, we need you to participate by:

Tell the doctor/nurse about every medicine you take. (Prescription, herbs, over-the-counter)
Make sure we know about any allergies/reactions to medicines you have taken.
Know the name of the medicine, what it is for and when you should be taking it.
Don't be afraid to tell the nurse or the doctor if you think you are about to receive the wrong medication.
Don't hesistate to tell the health care professional if you think he or she has confused you with another patient.
Speak up when you have concerns, questions or don't understand.
While you are in the hospital, you may take different medicines than you did before your hospitalization.
The time schedule for taking your medicines may be different than when you take your medicines at home.
When you are discharged, be sure to find out when you should resume taking your medicines at home.
Ask what you should do if you have an unexpected reaction to your medicines.

The single most important way you can help to promote safe medication usage is to be an active member of your health team. That means taking part in every decision about your health care. Uninvolved and uninformed patients are less likely to accept the doctor's choice of treatment and less likely to do what they need to do to make the treatment work.

Note: The information on this Web site is provided as general health guidelines and may not be applicable to your particular health condition. Your individual health status and any required medical treatments can only be properly addressed by a professional healthcare provider of your choice. Remember: There is no adequate substitution for a personal consultation with your physician. Neither Desert Springs Hospital Medical Center, or any of their affiliates, nor any contributors shall have any liability for the content or any errors or omissions in the information provided by this Web site.

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