Forensic Nursing Chronicles

Recently there was a new Canadian study that stated there was a “link between some medications and serious health problems.” (Posted by Tom Lamb at DrugInjuryWatch.com)The study went further to say that 1 out of 9 visits to the ER were medication related. As a nurse working in an acute care setting I often see patients admitted to the hospital who are on multiple medications and they are unfamiliar with the names of their medications let alone why they take them. Taking Dr. Johnson’s nursing pharmacology course has been very eye opening to me to see exactly all of the potential problems between medications and how dangerous different interactions truly can be. Patient safety should always be our first priority in the health care industry. When patients are discharged home it should be our priority to keep our patients safe by teaching them how their medications interact together and could potentially cause adverse effects. By being diligent in our education for our patients on their medications there is the potential to not put individuals in harms way from the medication that is meant to keep them healthy. DrugNews Defective Drugs News and DrugNews Pradaxa Updates are two websites for extra reading.