scholarly journals Pictograms for Safer Medication Management by Health Care Workers

2016 ◽  
Vol 69 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Régis Vaillancourt ◽  
Annie Pouliot ◽  
Kim Streitenberger ◽  
Sylvia Hyland ◽  
Pierre Thabet
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Medication Safety ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
Medication Administration ◽  
Delphi Process ◽  
Semiotic Analysis ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Personnel Infirmier ◽  
Nurses And Physicians ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians

<p><strong>ABSTRACT</strong></p><p><strong>Background:</strong> Inherent risks are associated with the preparation and administration of medications. As such, a key aspect of medication safety is to ensure safe medication management practices.</p><p><strong>Objective:</strong> To identify key medication safety issues and high-alert drug classes that might benefit from implementation of pictograms, for use by health care providers, to enhance medication administration safety. This study was the first step in the development of such pictograms.</p><p><strong>Methods:</strong> Self-identified medication management experts participated in a modified Delphi process to achieve consensus on situations where safety pictograms are required for labelling to optimize safe medication management. The study was divided into 3 phases: issue generation, issue reduction, and issue selection. Issues achieving at least 80% consensus and deemed most essential were selected for future studies. Retained issues were subjected to semiotic analysis, and preliminary pictograms were developed.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> Of the 87 health care professionals (pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses, and physicians) invited to participate in the Delphi process, 30 participated in all 3 phases. A total of 55 situations that could potentially benefit from safety pictograms were generated initially. Through the Delphi process, these were narrowed down to 10 situations where medication safety might be increased with the use of safety pictograms. For most of the retained issues, between 3 and 6 pictograms were designed, based on the results of the semiotic analysis.</p><p><strong>Conclusions:</strong> The pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, nurses, and physicians participating in this study reached consensus and identified 10 medication administration safety issues that might benefit from the development and implementation of safety pictograms. Pictograms were developed for a total of 9 issues. In follow-up studies, these pictograms will be validated for comprehension and evaluated for effectiveness.</p><p><strong>RÉSUMÉ</strong></p><p><strong>Contexte :</strong> Il y a des risques inhérents associés à la préparation et à l’administration de médicaments. Pour cette raison, l’un des principaux aspects de la sécurité des médicaments est d’assurer des pratiques de gestion des médicaments sécuritaires.</p><p><strong>Objectif :</strong> Déterminer les principales questions de sécurité des médicaments et les classes de médicaments de niveau d’alerte élevé pour lesquelles l’ajout de pictogrammes, destinés aux fournisseurs de soins de santé, permettrait de rendre l’administration de médicaments plus sécuritaire. La présente étude représentait la première étape dans l’élaboration de ces pictogrammes.</p><p><strong>Méthodes :</strong> Des professionnels qui se définissaient comme experts en gestion de médicaments ont participé à un processus Delphi modifié dans le but d’arriver à un consensus à propos des situations où des pictogrammes de sécurité doivent être ajoutés à l’étiquette afin d’optimiser la gestion sécuritaire des médicaments. L’étude a été divisée en trois phases : génération de questions de sécurité, élimination de questions de sécurité et sélection de questions de sécurité. Les questions qui atteignaient un consensus d’au moins 80 % et qui étaient considérées comme les plus essentielles ont été retenues pour des études ultérieures. Les questions de sécurité retenues ont été soumises à une analyse sémiotique, puis des ébauches de pictogrammes ont été créées.</p><p><strong>Résultats :</strong> Parmi les 87 professionnels de la santé (notamment des pharmaciens, des techniciens en pharmacie, du personnel infirmier et des médecins) invités à participer au processus Delphi, 30 ont pris part aux trois étapes. Au total, 55 situations pour lesquelles il pourrait être avantageux d’utiliser des pictogrammes de sécurité ont été générées au départ. Grâce au processus Delphi, ce nombre a été réduit à 10 situations pour lesquelles la sécurité des médicaments pourrait être accrue à l’aide de pictogrammes de sécurité. Pour la plupart des questions retenues, entre trois et six pictogrammes ont été conçus à l’aide des résultats de l’analyse sémiotique.</p><p><strong>Conclusion :</strong> Les pharmaciens, les techniciens en pharmacie, le personnel infirmier et les médecins qui ont participé à l’étude ont atteint un consensus sur dix questions au sujet de l’administration sécuritaire des médicaments pour lesquelles l’élaboration et la mise en place de pictogrammes de sécurité pourraient être avantageuses. Ensuite, des pictogrammes ont été conçus pour neuf questions au total. Dans les études ultérieures, il faudra évaluer l’efficacité des pictogrammes et s’assurer qu’ils sont interprétés correctement.</p>

scholarly journals Development of Pictograms to Enhance Medication Safety Practices of Health Care Workers and International Preferences

2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Régis Vaillancourt ◽  
Mike P Zender ◽  
Laurie Coulon ◽  
Annie Pouliot
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Medication Safety ◽  
Safety Issue ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Safety Issues ◽  
Soins De Santé ◽  
Drug Classes ◽  
Personnel Infirmier ◽  
Graphic Elements

<p>ABSTRACT</p><p>Background: A panel of medication management experts previously<br />identified 9 key medication safety issues and high-alert drug classes as<br />representing the most pressing medication-handling issues in health care.</p><p>Objective: To develop medication safety pictograms depicting medication<br />safety issues and high-alert drug classes that represent medication-handling<br />risks for health care personnel.</p><p>Methods: An iterative design process, including activities such as semiotic<br />analysis, design/redesign, and evaluation, was used to develop medication<br />safety pictograms. Nurses, physicians, pharmacists, and students listed<br />and drew graphic elements to depict each of the 9 key medication safety<br />issues. Graduate students in graphic design developed the preliminary<br />pictograms for the study. A Delphi survey was then conducted with<br />experts recruited from the International Pharmaceutical Federation to<br />reach consensus on the pictograms and provide feedback to the graphic<br />designers. Health care providers from around the world were invited to<br />participate in a survey to determine a preferred pictogram for each safety<br />warning.</p><p>Results: For each medication safety issue, 3 to 5 pictograms were<br />developed on the basis of graphic elements suggested by 52 health care<br />providers. These pictograms were then presented to 58 experts in 2 rounds<br />of a Delphi process. For each medication safety issue, consensus on the<br />2 best pictograms was reached and feedback provided. A total of 799<br />participants from 61 countries responded to the international preference<br />survey. Most of the participants (n = 536, 67.1%) were Canadian, and of<br />those, 385 (71.8%) were pharmacists. In 8 categories, consensus on the<br />preferred pictogram was reached across the health care professions;<br />however, a difference in preference was apparent for the pictogram<br />representing “neuromuscular blocking agent”, with nurses’ preferred<br />pictogram differing from the preference of other participants.</p><p>Conclusion: This project produced pictograms to illustrate 9 important<br />medication safety issues, which can now be validated through comprehension<br />and recall assessments. Further study can also determine their<br />potential to reduce medication administration errors.</p><p>RÉSUMÉ</p><p>Contexte : Un groupe d’experts en gestion des médicaments avait auparavant<br />établi neuf principales questions de sécurité des médicaments ou classes<br />de médicaments de niveau d’alerte élevé qui méritaient l’attention la plus<br />urgente en santé du point de vue de la manipulation des médicaments.</p><p>Objectif : Concevoir des pictogrammes de sécurité des médicaments qui<br />illustrent adéquatement les questions de sécurité des médicaments et les<br />classes de médicaments de niveau d’alerte élevé représentant des risques<br />pour le personnel en santé lors de la manipulation des médicaments.</p><p>Méthodes : Un processus de conception itératif (comprenant des activités<br />comme l’analyse sémiotique, la conception et la rectification, et l’évaluation)<br />a été employé pour créer des pictogrammes de sécurité des médicaments.<br />Du personnel infirmier, des médecins, des pharmaciens et des étudiants<br />ont dressé une liste d’éléments graphiques qu’ils ont dessinés afin d’illustrer<br />chacune des neuf principales questions de sécurité des médicaments. Des<br />étudiants diplômés en graphisme ont conçu les ébauches de pictogrammes<br />destinées à l’étude. Un sondage Delphi a ensuite été mené auprès d’experts<br />recrutés au sein de la Fédération internationale pharmaceutique afin de<br />dégager un consensus quant aux pictogrammes et de fournir des<br />commentaires constructifs aux graphistes. Des fournisseurs de soins de santé<br />de partout dans le monde ont été invités à répondre à un sondage pour<br />déterminer quel pictogramme privilégier pour chacune des mises en garde.</p><p>Résultats : Pour chaque question de sécurité des médicaments, entre trois<br />et cinq pictogrammes ont été conçus à partir d’éléments graphiques<br />proposés par 52 fournisseurs de soins de santé. Ces pictogrammes ont<br />ensuite été présentés à 58 experts au cours d’un processus Delphi à deux<br />phases. Pour chacune des questions de sécurité des médicaments, un<br />consensus sur les deux meilleurs pictogrammes a été atteint et des<br />commentaires constructifs ont été émis. Au total, 799 participants de<br />61 pays ont répondu au sondage international sur leurs préférences. La<br />majorité des participants (n = 536, 67,1 %) étaient Canadiens et parmi<br />eux, 385 (71,8 %) étaient pharmaciens. Dans huit catégories, l’ensemble<br />des professions ont atteint un consensus quant au pictogramme à<br />privilégier. Cela n’a pas été le cas pour le pictogramme représentant les<br />« bloqueurs neuromusculaires », car le personnel infirmier a privilégié un pictogramme<br />différent de celui préféré par les autres professions participantes.</p><p>Conclusions : Ce projet a produit des pictogrammes pour illustrer neuf<br />importantes questions de sécurité des médicaments. Ces pictogrammes<br />peuvent maintenant être validés à l’aide de tests de compréhension et de<br />mémoire. De plus amples études pourront aussi déterminer dans quelle<br />mesure ces pictogrammes aident à réduire les erreurs d’administration de<br />médicaments.</p><p> </p>

Keselamatan Pemberian Medikasi

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-111
Author(s):  
Agustin Indracahyani
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Medication Errors ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
Medication Administration ◽  
Process Approach ◽  
Nursing Process ◽  
Care Services ◽  
The World

AbstrakKesalahan medikasi merupakan masalah yang sangat serius di pelayanan kesehatan di seluruh dunia. Masalah tersebut mengakibatkan cedera dan kematian bagi pasien, serta meningkatkan biaya yang harus dikeluarkan oleh rumah sakit. Kesalahan medikasi dapat terjadi di setiap tahapan proses manajemen dan penggunaan medikasi dan berakibat pada keselamatan pasien. Kesalahan medikasi dapat terjadi akibat kondisi laten, kondisi yang menyebabkan kesalahan, dan kegagalan aktif. Perawat sebagai pihak yang paling banyak terlibat dalam proses pemberian medikasi memiliki peran penting dalam mencegah, mengenali, dan mengatasi terjadinya kesalahan untuk meningkatkan keselamatan pemberian medikasi. Upaya meningkatkan keselamatan pemberian medikasi dilakukan melalui pendekatan proses keperawatan sejak pengkajian hingga evaluasi dan dokumentasi. AbstractMedication errors are a very serious problem in health care services around the world. These problems lead to morbidity and mortality for patients, as well as increase the costs to be incurred by the hospital. Medication errors may occur at any stages of medication management and use process and result in patient safety. These may occur due to latent conditions, error producing conditions, and active failures. Nurses who are primarily involved in the process of medication administration have important role in preventing, recognizing, and addressing errors in order to enhance safety medication administration. Efforts to enhance safety medication administration may be done through nursing process approach from assessment to evaluation and documentation.

scholarly journals Medication Safety Practices: A Patient's Perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 271-281
Author(s):  
Sunita Ghike ◽  
Krutika Bhalerao ◽  
Anuja V Bhalerao
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Patient Safety ◽  
Quality Of Health Care ◽  
Medication Safety ◽  
Medication Administration ◽  
Obstetrics And Gynecology ◽  
Sample Population ◽  
Safety Practices ◽  
The Mean

ABSTRACT Introduction Medication administration constitutes a key element of acute care delivery, while errors in the process threaten patient safety. A foundational cornerstone upon which health care providers endeavor to base all care is the medical oath, “Never do harm to anyone” (Hippocrates). Medication use in hospitals is a complex process and depends on successful interaction among health care personnel functioning at different areas, and errors may occur at any stage of prescribing, documenting, dispensing, preparation, or administration. The purpose of this research is to explore the safety practices employed by nurses during medication administration, specifically from the patients’ perspectives. The fundamental objectives are to explore patients’ perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about the safety practices utilized by nurses when administering medications and to identify opportunities for increasing patient safety. Materials and methods This study was undertaken employing a quantitative survey instrument as the methodology. For collecting data, a pretested, structured questionnaire was given to the sample population after fulfilling the inclusion/exclusion criteria, and consent to enroll in study was taken. This method is convenient and affords the opportunity to generalize responses from the sample population to the population as a whole. Results The mean age of the respondents from Obstetrics and Gynecology was 29.08 ± 6.53. The mean age of the respondents from medicine was 33.4 ± 9.6. The mean age of the respondents from surgery was 33.68 ± 12.2; 23% respondents belonged to medicine unit, 21.5% respondents belonged to surgery unit, and 55.5% respondents belonged to Obstetrics and Gynecology unit. Of the total respondents, 62.75% were females. Moreover, 76 respondents in medicine, 72 respondents in surgery, and 172 respondents in Obstetrics and Gynecology stayed in the hospital for > 7 days. Respondents < 30 years of age responded negatively to three out of six questions compared to respondents > 30 years of age. This is statistically significant (p = 0.008, 0.0001, and 0.008) showing that age does not alter the perception of the quality of health care. The perception of medicine respondents was negative to four out of six questions as compared to surgery respondents. This is statistically significant (p = 0.008, 0.0001, and 0.008), thus unit alters the perception of the quality of health care. The medicine respondents rated care lower as compared to surgical respondents. The patients’ perception varies with gender, and it has been found to be significant in five out of six cases where p value is < 0.05. Females rated the quality of care better and shared the responsibility for health care. The patients’ perception varies with length of stay (LOS): 47.25% respondents feel that the nursing care of the hospital is very safe; 63% respondents feel that their care is a responsibility shared by both doctors as well as themselves more so by the female respondents from surgical units and who stayed longer. Conclusion According to patients’ perceptions reported in this study, there were a number of inconsistencies noted in the seven rights of medication administration delivered by nurses, specifically patient identification, hand washing, allergy assessment, and patient teaching. The perception of medication safety practices do change with the unit they are in, gender, and LOS. The results identify key safety issues from a patients’ perspective to focus change strategies that will improve patient care. How to cite this article Bhalerao K, Ghike S, Bhalerao AV. Medication Safety Practices: A Patient's Perspective. J South Asian Feder Obst Gynae 2016;8(4):271-281.

scholarly journals Opportunities and Recommendations for Improving Medication Safety: Understanding the Medication Management System in Primary Care Through an Abstraction Hierarchy (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Baumgartner ◽  
Taylor Kunkes ◽  
Collin M Clark ◽  
Laura A Brady ◽  
Scott V Monte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Management System ◽  
Medication Safety ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
Potentially Inappropriate Medications ◽  
Primary Care Office ◽  
Care System

BACKGROUND Despite making great strides in improving the treatment of diseases, the minimization of unintended harm by medication therapy continues to be a major hurdle facing the health care system. Medication error and prescription of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) represent a prevalent source of harm to patients and are associated with increased rates of adverse events, hospitalizations, and increased health care costs. Attempts to improve medication management systems in primary care have had mixed results. Implementation of new interventions is difficult because of complex contextual factors within the health care system. Abstraction hierarchy (AH), the first step in cognitive work analysis (CWA), is used by human factors practitioners to describe complex sociotechnical systems. Although initially intended for the nuclear power domain and interface design, AH has been used successfully to aid the redesign of numerous health care systems such as the design of decision support tools, mobile patient monitoring apps, and a telephone triage system. OBJECTIVE This paper aims to refine our understanding of the primary care office in relation to a patient’s medication through the development of an AH. Emphasis was placed on the elements related to medication safety to provide guidance for the design of a safer medication management system in primary care. METHODS The AH development was guided by the methodology used by seminal CWA literature. It was initially developed by 2 authors and later fine-tuned by an expert panel of clinicians, social scientists, and a human factors engineer. It was subsequently refined until an agreement was reached. A means-ends analysis was performed and described for the nodes of interest. The model represents the primary care office space through functional purposes, values and priorities, function-related purposes, object-related processes, and physical objects. RESULTS This model depicts the medication management system at various levels of abstraction. The resulting components must be balanced and coordinated to provide medical treatment with limited health care resources. Understanding the physical and informational constraints on activities that occur in a primary care office depicted in the AH defines areas in which medication safety can be improved. CONCLUSIONS Numerous means-ends relationships were identified and analyzed. These can be further evaluated depending on the specific needs of the user. Recommendations for optimizing a medication management system in a primary care facility were made. Individual practices can use AH for clinical redesign to improve prescribing and deprescribing practices.

Text automation tool to improve pharmacist productivity and work capacity in a digital hospital: user feedback survey (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron Van Garderen ◽  
Centaine L. Snoswell
Keyword(s):  
User Experience ◽  
Medication Safety ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
Daily Practice ◽  
Work Capacity ◽  
Medication Administration ◽  
Digital Systems ◽  
Routine Practice ◽  
User Experiences

BACKGROUND Hospitals and health services are increasingly using digital systems to improve medication safety. Electronic medication management (EMM) systems support medication management by enabling doctors, nurses and pharmacists to digitally prescribe, order, check, reconcile, dispense and record medication administration detail. Yet, despite many gains, negative user experiences and increased documentation time have been recognised as the main barriers to successful adoption of an EMM in routine practice. OBJECTIVE To assess if a customised text automation tool improves clinical pharmacist productivity, capacity and user experience when using an Electronic Medication Management system (EMM). METHODS A four-week trial was completed. Participants were educated on how to use a customised automation tool within their daily practice. Following completion, the participants were asked to rate their experience with using the tool and how its use could impact their workflow using a Likert questionnaire. RESULTS Key findings Fifteen pharmacists completed the trial. The automation tool was considered to have a positive impact on productivity, capacity and user experience. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlighted that the autotext tool could help enhance pharmacist workflow and be an acceptable clinical application. CLINICALTRIAL Not applicable

scholarly journals Opportunities and Recommendations for Improving Medication Safety: Understanding the Medication Management System in Primary Care Through an Abstraction Hierarchy

10.2196/18103 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. e18103
Author(s):  
Andrew Baumgartner ◽  
Taylor Kunkes ◽  
Collin M Clark ◽  
Laura A Brady ◽  
Scott V Monte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Human Factors ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Management System ◽  
Medication Safety ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
Potentially Inappropriate Medications ◽  
Primary Care Office ◽  
Care System

Background Despite making great strides in improving the treatment of diseases, the minimization of unintended harm by medication therapy continues to be a major hurdle facing the health care system. Medication error and prescription of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) represent a prevalent source of harm to patients and are associated with increased rates of adverse events, hospitalizations, and increased health care costs. Attempts to improve medication management systems in primary care have had mixed results. Implementation of new interventions is difficult because of complex contextual factors within the health care system. Abstraction hierarchy (AH), the first step in cognitive work analysis (CWA), is used by human factors practitioners to describe complex sociotechnical systems. Although initially intended for the nuclear power domain and interface design, AH has been used successfully to aid the redesign of numerous health care systems such as the design of decision support tools, mobile patient monitoring apps, and a telephone triage system. Objective This paper aims to refine our understanding of the primary care office in relation to a patient’s medication through the development of an AH. Emphasis was placed on the elements related to medication safety to provide guidance for the design of a safer medication management system in primary care. Methods The AH development was guided by the methodology used by seminal CWA literature. It was initially developed by 2 authors and later fine-tuned by an expert panel of clinicians, social scientists, and a human factors engineer. It was subsequently refined until an agreement was reached. A means-ends analysis was performed and described for the nodes of interest. The model represents the primary care office space through functional purposes, values and priorities, function-related purposes, object-related processes, and physical objects. Results This model depicts the medication management system at various levels of abstraction. The resulting components must be balanced and coordinated to provide medical treatment with limited health care resources. Understanding the physical and informational constraints on activities that occur in a primary care office depicted in the AH defines areas in which medication safety can be improved. Conclusions Numerous means-ends relationships were identified and analyzed. These can be further evaluated depending on the specific needs of the user. Recommendations for optimizing a medication management system in a primary care facility were made. Individual practices can use AH for clinical redesign to improve prescribing and deprescribing practices.

Nutrition in Primary Health Care: Using a Delphi Process To Design New Interdisciplinary Services

2006 ◽  
Vol 67 (S1) ◽  
pp. S14-S29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Brauer ◽  
Linda Dietrich ◽  
Bridget Davidson ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Administrative Support ◽  
Care Service ◽  
Delphi Process ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Modified Delphi ◽  
Nutrition Services ◽  
Key Features

Purpose: A modified Delphi process was used to identify key features of interdisciplinary nutrition services, including provider roles and responsibilities for Ontario Family Health Networks (FHNs), a family physician-based type of primary care. Methods: Twenty-three representatives from interested professional organizations, including three FHN demonstration sites, completed a modified Delphi process. Participants reviewed evidence from a systematic literature review, a patient survey, a costing analysis, and key informant interview results before undertaking the Delphi process. Statements describing various options for services were developed at an in-person meeting, which was followed by two rounds of e-mail questionnaires. Teleconference discussions were held between rounds. Results: An interdisciplinary model with differing and complementary roles for health care providers emerged from the process. Additional key features addressing screening for nutrition problems, health promotion and disease prevention, team collaboration, planning and evaluation, administrative support, access to care, and medical directives/delegated acts were identified. Under the proposed model, the registered dietitian is the team member responsible for managing all aspects of nutrition services, from needs assessment to program delivery, as well as for supporting all providers’ nutrition services. Conclusions: The proposed interdisciplinary nutrition services model merits evaluation of cost, effectiveness, applicability, and sustainability in team-based primary care service settings.

Medication Administration Practices in United States’ Schools: A Systematic Review and Meta-synthesis

2021 ◽  
pp. 105984052110263
Author(s):  
Ashley A. Lowe ◽  
Joe K. Gerald ◽  
Conrad Clemens ◽  
Cherie Gaither ◽  
Lynn B. Gerald
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
The United States ◽  
Medication Administration ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Level Of Training ◽  
K 12 ◽  
Keyword Searches

Schools often provide medication management to children at school, yet, most U.S. schools lack a full-time, licensed nurse. Schools rely heavily on unlicensed assistive personnel (UAP) to perform such tasks. This systematic review examined medication management among K-12 school nurses. Keyword searches in three databases were performed. We included studies that examined: (a) K-12 charter, private/parochial, or public schools, (b) UAPs and licensed nurses, (c) policies and practices for medication management, or (d) nurse delegation laws. Three concepts were synthesized: (a) level of training, (b) nurse delegation, and (c) emergency medications. One-hundred twelve articles were screened. Of these, 37.5% (42/112) were comprehensively reviewed. Eighty-one percent discussed level of training, 69% nurse delegation, and 57% emergency medications. Succinct and consistent policies within and across the United States aimed at increasing access to emergency medications in schools remain necessary.

Promoting Healthy Medication Use Through Indigenous Knowledge Sharing: A Coyote Story

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gina Gaspard ◽  
Carrie Gadsby ◽  
Cindy Preston
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Knowledge Sharing ◽  
First Nations ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Health Authority ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Claims Data ◽  
Medication Management ◽  
Medication Use ◽  
Care Services

Polypharmacy is the administration of more medications than clinically required or appropriate, and it can negatively impact wellness. Prescribers, pharmacists, nurses, and those receiving care services all have an important role to play in promoting healthy medication use and minimizing the risk related to polypharmacy. Medication management involves health care professionals regularly reviewing drug therapies with patients for any needed changes. This strategy is a key way to reduce the harms of polypharmacy. A review of the First Nations Health Authority Health Benefits Claims data in 2015 confirmed that polypharmacy is an issue for First Nations in British Columbia, Canada. This was further validated in a series of meetings held in four First Nations communities. The learnings from these meetings were that many people do not know the names of their medications, the reasons for taking them, or how to advocate for themselves during health care interactions. A unique strategy was needed to both encourage and empower First Nations and Indigenous people to discuss managing their medications, and to support health care professionals to better understand how to engage First Nations patients about their medications.

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