Patient and Visitors’ Center

Medications

Medication errors are one of the leading causes of injury to hospital patients. According to several recent literature reviews, differences between the medications patients were taking prior to admission and their admission orders ranged from 30 to 70 percent. Accidentally omitting a home medication is the most common cause of this percentage discrepancy.

At King’s Daughters Hospital, we have developed a medication reconciliation process to reduce such errors. The first step in this process is to be able to obtain a complete and accurate list of a patient’s home medications. This includes not only prescription medications, but also any over-the-counter medications or herbal preparations a patient is taking. It is important that the list include the dosage of the medication and how often it is taken. As a patient, you can contribute to this process by having an up-to-date list of all current medications currently taken with you at all times. The list needs to be revised every time a medication changes. You may download a form to keep track of your medications on our Universal Medication Form page.

What you need to know about each medicine that you take:

• What is the name of each medicine?
• What is it for?
• How much of it should I take each time?
• How should I take it? With food? Without food?
• How long should I take it? Do I need to take all of it?
• What should I do if I miss a dose?
• Are there any side effects? What should I do if I experience a side effect?
• Is it safe to take with other medications, herbal supplements and/or vitamins?
• What food, drink, or activities should I avoid while taking it?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, your physician, nurse or pharmacist can help you.