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Medication Safety Resources Available for Provider and Consumer Education

OFMQ encourages safe and effective medication use for the best possible outcomes. October included several national health observances to encourage medication safety.  Several organizations produced campaigns and resources for provider and consumer education.  Below are links to resources for health promotion activities related to medication safety.  Many of the educational materials and resources offered in these campaigns are available at low or no cost.  

  • The National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE) sponsors Talk About Prescriptions Month. The theme for 2007 is “Medication Use Safety and Training (MUST) for Seniors.” The NCPIE's mission is to improve communication on the appropriate use of medications to consumers and health care professionals. Their Web site is http://www.talkaboutrx.org/rxmonth2007.jsp
  • The American Pharmacists Month theme is “Know Your Medicine, Know Your Pharmacist.” The planning guide includes ways to celebrate the month including decorating the pharmacy, scheduling health events and providing Medicare counseling to seniors in the local community. The guide and other resources can be accessed at the American Pharmacists Website.   
  • The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) is supplying resources for National Hospital and Health-System Pharmacy Week, which is observed October 21-27. The week will focus on the important contributions made by pharmacists and technicians to promote the safety and well-being of patients in our nation's health care institutions. Ideas include open house/pharmacy tours, meet & greets; brown-bag workshops and site visits for legislators.  More information is available on the ASHP Website.
  • ASHP also seeks to increase dialogue between patients and hospital pharmacists through the Just Ask! Campaign. The campaign features a toolkit that can be used to urge patients to talk to hospital pharmacists when they have questions about their medications. Click here for more information.
  • The Joint Commission and The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, launched the national Speak Up Campaign to encourage patients to become involved and informed participants on their health care team. The campaign features brochures, posters and buttons on a variety of patient safety topics. There are NO copyright or reprinting permissions required for the Speak Up materials.   The Joint Commission should be credited as the source for the materials or copy. Visit the campaign's website.   To order Speak Up materials call 1-877-223-6866, or visit http://store.trihost.com/jcr.
  • Health Literacy Month promotes the importance of understandable health information. The Web site includes links to events, resources and a free-e-newsletter. Visit the campaign website. 
  • The American Medical Association Foundation, in recognition of the effects of health literacy on medical diagnosis, developed tools and resources that can be found online here: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/8115.html
  • MedQIC is a CMS and QIO developed Web site where health care professionals can find and share resources. On this site you can find resources for all health care settings including pharmacy. Please visit www.medqic.org.
  • The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists created “My Medicine List™.” Patients should fill out the list and bring it to all of their medical appointments and ask their doctor or pharmacist to go over it with them. Click here to visit the website and access this resource.