9 Jan 2019 | Medication Safety
A new consumer poster is now available in English and te reo Māori to help patients, caregivers, families and whānau talk about medication with their health care providers.
Good communication between patients and health professionals helps to reduce the risk of medication-related harm. Patients are at particularly high risk of fragmented care, adverse drug events and medication errors during ‘transitions of care’, where a patient moves between one care setting and another.
It is therefore important for patients to be active partners in their health care so they have the information they need to use their medication safely. To support them to do this, the Commission has adopted the following Canadian[1] set of five questions, and adapted a poster for consumers (available in English and te reo Māori):
Patients can ask these questions whenever they see a health care professional, for example:
The five questions can also be used by health care professionals when talking to patients about any changes to their medication.