» Patient Safety

Medication Management for Seniors

Karen Curtiss — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 16:22:01 +0000

A recent Yale study revealed that fully 75 percent of patients 65 or older don’t understand their medication routine after leaving the hospital — or they get an incorrect prescription at discharge. No wonder one of every three seniors ends up back in the hospital! In fact, many older patients overdose on meds their first day or two at home. Here’s what happens: patients get a dose of medicine at the hospital before discharge, then they take it again at home “at their usual time.” Sounds crazy, but the hospital’s medication record often gets buried in the sheaf of discharge papers, [...]

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This Hospital Safety Checklist Can Help You Avoid Readmissions After Discharge

Karen Curtiss — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:43:09 +0000

Fact: 20 to 30 percent of all patients end up back in the hospital within a month. Often, it’s because they can’t drive to get prescriptions filled or make it to follow-up doctor appointments. Sometimes patients ignore signs of health problems after a hospital stay, hoping they’ll just “go away”. Older people often don’t want to seem like “a bother” to their family. Medication Mix-Ups Cause Most Problems A recent Yale study revealed that 3 out of 4 older patients leave the hospital unprepared: They receive the wrong prescription. They don’t fully understand their new medication regimen. They don’t understand [...]

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Hospitals Can Be Dangerous – Tips to Protect Your Loved Ones From Infections and Accidents.

Karen Curtiss — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 17:58:45 +0000

Thanks to a wealth of great medical websites, we’ve never had access to more knowledge about health conditions and treatment choices. However, the average caretaker or advocate knows much less about potentially-harmful complications known as “Hospital Acquired Conditions,” or “HACs” that can be dangerous — even deadly. National Patient Safety Awareness Week is March 3-9 and shines a light on the most common HACs and how to prevent them. Most hospitals set this week aside for special training for their doctors and nurses. They also reach out to their local communities with educational events that cover hospital safety tips like the [...]

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