Page 8B
KEEPING TRACK
OF MEDICATION
By PAULA VESS
Regional Marketing Group
SHELBY- In today’s world
of multiple prescriptions
for different ailments or
diseases, it’s more important
- than ever to have an accurate
list of your medications
— both prescriptions and
over-the-counter medicines.
After all, medications are
important. They can prolong
your quality of life and
prevent complications.
But if medication is
not taken properly or is
improperly mixed with others
it can lead to problems. Each
medication comes with its own
instructions for when and how
it is to be taken. Plus each has
its own profile of side effects
and possible interactions with
food or other drugs. With all
that information, taking more
than one can be confusing.
“In today’s environment of
complex healthcare including
multiple medical conditions
and caregivers, the potential
for harmful prescribing has
increased exponentially,” said
Calvin Caunt, MD, Chief-of-
Staff at Cleveland Regional
Medical Center. “As a patient
gets above taking a few
medicines, two or three, the
risks of adverse interactions
increase profoundly.”
Physicians and patient
safety officials at Cleveland
County HealthCare System
(CCHS) are urging area
‘residents to take the time
to write down all their
prescriptions, the dosage and
any special instructions.
“A patient’s list of
medicines written by them
is most likely to accurately
reflect what the patient is
truly taking,” said Dr. Caunt.
It’s also important to take
the list to your next doctor’s
appointment and discuss the
medications with each of your
physicians. “The list provides
an excellent means for the
physician to review all of
their medicines with them,”
said Dr. Caunt, “including
“alist of your medications
The Kings Mountain Herald Wednesday, April 7, 2010
PAID ADVERTISEMENT
the benefits, potential for
harm, redundancies, and
interactions.” ;
During an emergency
department visit, having
handy saves valuable time.
“A patient who comes in :
with a list of theircurrent 8 | ~~ —— I a
medications helps us make ? :
the right treatment decisions
quickly,” said James
Bombenger, MD, Medical
Director of Emergency
Medicine for Cleveland
County HealthCare System.
“Being a patient in the
emergency department is
stressful and people can’t
always remember all of their
medicines or the doses. It
takes time to track down that
information, but we need it in
order to treat them safely.”
Once you have your
prescriptions and have
discussed them with your
doctor, it’s important to
follow the guidelines and
instructions for their use.
Problems occur when
you stop taking or only
occasionally remember to
take your medications.
“Being aware of the
medicines and their side
effects is so important,” said
Anzie Horn, RN, Director of
Care Solutions, CCHS’ care
management service. “Some
medications need to be taken
certain times of the day, with
or without food as well as
other factors that affect the
medication’s purpose.”
You may stop taking your
medications for many reasons.
The drug may have side
effects that you don’t like or it
may not seem to be working.
“We always recommend
that individuals keep the
doctor informed about
changes - mental changes,
physical changes, emotional
changes - that may occur
after a medication is started,”
said Horn. |
Do not stop taking the
medicine without talking to
your doctor. By doing so, you
don’t get the benefit of a drug
Shy
elles
Free medication record ards will be available at the
information desks at Cleveland Regional Medical
Center or Kings Mountain Hospital starting April 19.
course, it’s an occasional
miss, and it’s usually because
of forgetfulness or confusion.
The more medications you
take, the more difficult it is
to keep track of them, and
that’s the reason to have a
daily pill container.
“Some things that
individuals can do for
reminders are setting
alarm clocks to go off when
medications are due,” said
Horn, “or having a Lifeline
unit that has medication
reminders programmed in it.
It’s also advisable to get
your prescriptions filled at
the same pharmacy so that
one more knowledgeable
person is reviewing what
you're taking and looking
for any possible drug
interactions.
Establish a talking
relationship with your
pharmacist, if possible, and
feel free to ask about any
vitamins and supplements
you're taking as well as
your prescription drugs.
Medications have the
that you need for good health,
your doctor does not have a
clear picture of the effects of
the drug on your illness and
your doctor may make other
treatment decisions based on
the assumption that you are
taking the medication.
Many patients generally
try to follow a medication’s
guideline, but may frequently
forget. Or you neglect
taking the drug from time
to time because you're not
experiencing any symptoms.
“We reinforce that a
person should not quit
taking their medication,
especially blood pressure
medications, just because
they feel better,” said Horn.
If your blood pressure is high
because you rarely take your
medicine, your doctor needs
to know. Otherwise, he or she
may assume the treatment
is not working and prescribe
a larger dose or search for
another treatment option.
With most seniors, of
potential to interac
with over-the-counter
medicines and supplements.
“There are multiple
potential interactions,” said
Dr. Caunt, "including oral
medications, injectable drugs,
and topical agents as well as
over-the-counter agents.”
Don’t forget to update your
medication list when your
physician adds a new medicine,
tells you to stop taking a
medicine or changes a dosage.
Your use, misuse or non-
use of those medications
could well be a matter of life
and death. “It is important
to recognize that life
threatening situations can
arise, which lead to ER visits,
hospitalizations and even
deaths due to medication
complications,” said Dr.
Caunt. “That is why keeping
an up-to-date medication list
and sharing it with healthcare
providers is critical.”
2»
»
Families should discuss end-of-life issues, create advanced directives
By PAULA VESS
Regional Marketing Group
‘Long before The Patient Self-
Determination Act of 1991 required
healthcare institutions to ask every
patient if they have [iB
an advance directive,
the chaplains at
Cleveland County
HealthCare System
knew families
needed to talk about
end-of-life care.
to ask of them. It was the worst grief I
had seen.”
Advance directives are also known
as living wills. These are formal
documents that provide instructions
for care in case the person becomes
unable to make decisions. Another
advance directive is a health care
proxy or health care power of
attorney, which allows the patient to
designate a surrogate - a person who
‘written down in the form of a living
thing, and having your wishes
Want to learn more?
will or health care proxy helps
families make decisions. It is also
important to include your doctor in
the conversation. .
The work of the CCHS chaplains
and others led to the formation
of a group named Journey, a
group of more than 20 healthcare
organizations and service providers
Celebrate National HealthCare Decision
Day on April 16 by visiting these
locations to find out about living wills
and creating a healthcare power of
attorney:
10 A.M. TO 3 P.M.
Cleveland Pines Nursing Center
Cleveland Regional Medical Center
FAA ; Kings Mountain Hospital
will make treatment decisions for the within the community who work og ling House Shelby
patient if the patient becomes unable together to educate everyone on Carillon Assisted Living
to make such decisions.
preparing for end-of-life issues.
Hospice of Cleveland County
“Thirty years ago, J Byers and the other chaplains at Members of Journey will participate Neal Senior Center - Shelb
I prayed that no Len Byers CCHS have spent the last 25 years in National HealthCare Decisions 8AM.TO3PM y
family would show encouraging families to talk to one Day, on Friday, April 16, by setting Life Enrichment - Shelby
up in the ICU waiting room who did another before the moment of decision up displays at various locations 8AM.TO5 PM
not know their loved one’s preferences
about life support,” said Len Byers,
Chaplain and Director of Pastoral
Care for Cleveland County HealthCare
System. “Families back then had no
arrives. “Our goal is to one day have
no family come to our hospital without
knowing what their loved one would
want them to do,” said Byers.
Discussing end-of-life issues with
loved ones is the most important
throughout the community, including
Cleveland Regional Medical Center
and Kings Mountain Hospital. They
will be available to talk about advance
directives and help you create one of
your own if you choose to do so.
Patrick Center - Kings Mountain
9 A.M.TO NOON
Crawley Memorial Hospital
Cleveland County Cooperative
Extension Center
preparation for the decisions we had
First in Digital | Mammograp 9 wy
Cleveland County’s first digital mammography offers advanced screening i
and diagnostic mammograms. The system also features ImageChecker® :
technology that significantly enhances detection of abnormalities. Since carly
; detection is key to surviving breast cancer, this is an important screening
service for local women. For more s information, call 980-487-3141.
N
Cleveland County HealthC
Cleveland Regional Medical Center: 980-487-3000
Kings Mountain Hospital: 980-487-5000
www.ClevelandCountyHealthCareSystem.org