MEDICATION SAFETY AND SENIORS Pharmacist Awareness Month March 2018 Learn..to be safe!! Planner s Guide for Pharmacists
PURPOSE OF THE GUIDE March is Pharmacist Awareness Month. Pharmacists are Pharmacists are Medication Therapy Experts, including Medication Safety. The purpose of this guide is to connect a Pharmacist to seniors in the community, and includes steps to plan a medication safety event in your community. BACKGROUND The healthcare system is complex. Using medications safely can be difficult. 20-30% of admissions to hospital of people 65 and older, are medication related 1 Almost half of the people admitted or discharged from hospital will experience medication errors that may cause harm 2 Harm from medication incidents can result in: o hospital admissions or re-admissions caused by: adverse reactions to medication e.g. dizziness, falls, blurred vision, sedation etc. inappropriate response to medication (too much or too little) - resulting in poor or lack of response of the underlying medical condition being treated. Poisoning resulting from accidental or unintentional overdose o longer hospital stays A full understanding of all aspects of medications, including safety issues, is so important to helping patients manage their health Patients are the best source of information on the medications they are taking. Patients and families are very important partners who can give correct information about the medications that patients take and how they are taking them. Everyone wins when patients, families and healthcare providers work in partnership to improve medication safety! 1 Ibid 2 Canadian Patient Safety Institute, June 18, 2014-2 -
PLAN A MEDICATON SAFETY EVENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY! STEP 1: Ask your local Senior s Centre to work with you! You, as a local pharmacist, are an expert in medication safety. Pharmacists can go to Learn to be Safe-A Guide for Pharmacists for ready-to-use materials to do a session or presentation with a group of seniors. Pharmacists can access resources on medication safety from the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety website (mips.ca) or by emailing admin@mips.ca, for example: the Medication Card at mips.ca/medication-card the 5 Questions to Ask About Your Medications Patient Notes at mips.ca/it's Safe to Ask If you are not familiar with a Senior Centre in your area, contact the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety at admin@mips.ca, or by calling 204-927-6477 or 1-866-927-6477. Or, possibly recruit an audience from your customer base. STEP 2: Choose a date. Advertise your session Use the poster in Appendix A as a guide to develop your own advertisement. Include the 5 Questions to Ask poster: available from the MIPS website at mips.ca/it's Safe to Ask CPhA (https://www.pharmacists.ca ) provides valuable graphics and resources. STEP 3: Consider and plan for food, drinks, prizes During Pharmacist Awareness Week in 2018, the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety is offering up to 20 door prizes (one per organization for first 20 organizations who contact us and send poster for an event). Contact the Manitoba Institute for Patient Safety by February 15, 2018. Offer a theme related door prize (e.g. a medication review for an attendee) STEP 4: Arrange for audiovisual needs for the presentation STEP 5: Have fun! MIPS wants to hear from you! Take photos of your activities and e-mail to MIPS at admin@mips.ca Complete the Events Form, Appendix B, page 5 Ask attendees for their feedback using Evaluation Form, Appendix C, page 6 Send in Events Form and Evaluation From by email to admin@mips.ca or by fax to 204-779-6477-3 -
APPENDIX A: POSTER Do YOU know the questions to ask your pharmacist? Join us to talk about how YOU can engage in your healthcare plans. Date: Time: Place: Learn..to be safe!! - 4 -
APPENDIX B: ACTIVITY FORM PHARMACIST AWARENESS MONTH Please complete the events form and email it to admin@mips.ca or fax to 204-779-6477 Organization: Contact person: E-mail address: Phone Number: (204) Activities Target Audiences Estimate of Numbers Reached Thanks for helping to improve medication safety! - 5 -
APPENDIX C: EVALUATION FORM *ask the group for their rating and send results page by email to admin@mips.ca or fax to 204-779-6477 Date: Group Name: # of attendees: Presenter: Instructions: Please check ( ) the responses that reflect your opinions. STATEMENTS 1. The presentation was informative. 2. The resources/ handouts are easy to read. Strongly Agree 1 Agree 2 Disagree 3 Strongly Disagree 4 3. I felt comfortable expressing my opinions and asking questions. 4. I am now more aware of how to be actively involved in my healthcare decisions. 5. The presenter guided the session well. 6. I will speak to others about this topic. 7. I will use this content when meeting with my healthcare providers. General Comments: - 6 -