Avoiding a Medication Error AFTER a Hospital Discharge

A Serious Prescription Mistake
Here is an example of a medication error that occurred after leaving the hospital and how you can help prevent such errors:
A patient was discharged from the hospital with a prescription to inject a rapid acting insulin three times a day before meals.  The prescription was for 9 units.  It was clearly typed out, and abbreviations were not used in order to avoid a mistake.  The patient took the prescription to his pharmacy, and for some reason, the label created by the patient's pharmacy instructed the patient to inject 90 units of insulin before each meal! The patient injected the insulin as instructed by the pharmacist, and his blood sugar fell to a dangerously low level.  The patient became non-responsive.  Paramedics were called, and he was taken to the hospital where his blood sugar was stabilized.  The mistake could have been deadly, but thankfully the patient survived with no permanent deficits.
How Can You Avoid Such an Error?

1. Take your hospital discharge paperwork with you when you fill prescriptions at the pharmacy.
2. When the pharmacist gives you your medication, compare the dose and the instructions on the medication label with the medication dose and instructions found on your discharge form.
3. If there is any discrepancy between what was ordered by the hospital physician and what Pharmacy gives you, don't accept the medication until there is a clear explanation for the difference or until the mistake is corrected, if a mistake was made.

Know the What, When, How and Why of your Prescriptions 
It is very important to know the following information about your medication after you are discharged from the hospital:

1. Why are you taking the medication?
2. What dose will you be taking?
3. When is the next dose due?
4. How should the medication be taken? (With or without food etc.)
5. How long are you to take the medication?  For a week, a month, forever? 
6. If you are sent home on sliding scale insulin, make sure the sliding scale is printed out for you in its entirety and that you understand it completely.

And don't forget, if you have any questions at all, ASK THEM before you leave the hospital!