Conquer Silence and Ask Questions
2020-10-21
-
Recently, Safemedicationuse.ca received a report about a recurring error at a pharmacy. The patient was receiving her medication in a form that was not right for her chronic condition and did not match the doctor's prescription. Although the patient knew the error was happening, she did not let the pharmacist know. Not speaking up resulted in the patient suffering mild harm and required her to follow-up with her doctor to right the problem with the pharmacy.
Your health is a shared responsibility between you and your health care team, including your doctors, nurses, and pharmacists. Even if it makes you feel uncomfortable, it's important to speak up and ask questions if you have a concern or need more information. If you don't understand something, don't worry about asking the same question more than once.
SafeMedicationUse.ca shares the following 3 tips to help you feel more comfortable in speaking up:
-
Describe what you are feeling.
I'm feeling much weaker since I started the medication that I picked up a few days ago, and this has me worried. I'm having more symptoms since I started taking this medication.
-
Share why you feel this way.
I'm concerned because my medication looks different from how it used to look.
-
Explain what would make you feel better.
Can you please check to see if I received the right medication? It would put my mind at ease.
Your voice can help prevent errors and improve safety. Share your experiences with Mederror.ca, the new reporting website for SafeMedicationUse.ca.
Find out more about the upcoming Canadian Patient Safety Week (October 26 to 30, 2020) and #ConquerSilence.
Medication safety bulletins contribute to Global Patient Safety Alerts
This newsletter was developed in collaboration with Best Medicines Coalition and Patients for Patient Safety Canada.
Recommendations are shared with healthcare providers, through the ISMP Canada Safety Bulletin, so that changes can be made together.
|
