In this presentation we want to help you to know a bit more about What is the issue Different types of medicines Why do people take medicines incorrectly Some other good practice in the use of medicines ID: 908447
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Slide1
Taking medicines safely and effectively
Slide2In this presentation we want to help you to know a bit more about:What is the issue?Different types of medicines
Why do people take medicines incorrectly?
Some other good practice in the use of medicines
Slide3So what’s the issue?
There are
are more medicines around then ever before. Also,
people are living longer, so they need more of those medicines for longer.
But…we know that almost 1 in every 3 people do not take their regular medicines in the right way.
Just over half of them do not know that they are taking their medicines in the wrong way.
Just under half of them either do not to take their medicine, or choose to take the medicine in their own way.
Slide4Not taking medicines properly can make you ill. More than 1 out of every 20 emergency re-admissions to hospital happen because of this.
There are all sorts of reasons for this. People can:
Forget to take the medicines
Take too much or too little
Take them at the wrong time
Take someone else’s
The following information is to help you to be more sure that you are taking your medicine safely.
Slide5What is a medicine and what is a drug? Sometimes people talk about drugs and medicines as if they are the same thing. So what is the difference?
Slide6What is a medicine and what is a drug?
A DRUG
A MEDICINE
Something that is taken into the body and changes the way the body works. e.g. alcohol and caffeine are all drugs as they alter the way the body acts after taking them
Medicines contain drugs in a specially prepared form for different reasons.
To treat an illness
To stop an illness occurring
To relieve symptoms of an illness To improve the quality of life
So all medicines are drugs, but not all drugs are medicines!
Slide7There are three main legal classes of medicines
General Sales List medicines (GSL)
Can be bought anywhere
Pharmacy medicines (P)
Can only be bought in pharmacies
Prescription Only Medicines (POP)
Can only be obtained with a prescription
There are also “herbal medicines” like St Johns Wort which aren’t legally classified as medicines, but they can still affect other medicines, so you should let your doctor or pharmacist know if you are using them.
Slide8Medicine formulationsThe ‘formulation’ of the medication determines how it works and how it should be used.
So for example, there are a number of different types of tablet:
Tablets, caplets, and capsules
– variations of tablet types – (
eg
capsules are coated for easier swallowing)
Enteric coated
– for drugs that would be damaged by the acid in your stomach, so are designed to dissolve in the small intestine. Do not cut or crush these before you take them, because that will destroy the protective coating, and they will not work.
Time release – designed to that release the drug slowly. Again, it is important that you do not cut or crush these sort of tablets or you may receive too much drug at once.Lozenges, meltlets or wafers – dissolve in the mouth and on the tongue
Slide9Main section-
So why do people take medicines incorrectly?
There are lots of reasons why people do not take their medicines in the right way. For example:
Not knowing what the medicine is actually for
Confusion over the name of the medicine
Not understanding what the directions mean
Not knowing when or for how long to take their medicines
Not knowing how best to take their medicines
Suffering from side effects of medicines
Practical issues such as getting medicines out of the containers?
Slide10Why do people take medicines incorrectly?1) Not knowing what the medicine is actually for
Many people do not know why they are taking their medicines or what each medicine is for. This means you might still be taking a medicine which is no longer the right one for you.
Do not guess
– many medicines can be used for more than one condition
If you do not know what your medicines are for, talk to your doctor or your pharmacist. They will help you understand what you’re taking and using their own expertise to spot if there’s anything that’s not appropriate.
Slide11The information on the label is really important. So what is on it?There is a lot of text on the label which all has to be there by law. However, because there is so much, it can be difficult to read and understand. It must include the following:
What the medicine is (its form and its strength)
Total quantity dispensed (the amount of medicine in the box or bottle)
How much to take
When and how to take it
Warning or cautionary instructions (for example “take with food”)
Storage instructions – if needing refrigeration
Patient Name
Pharmacy address and telephone number
Date of dispensing (the date that the pharmacist gave it to you)
The expiry date of the medicine should be on the main container
Slide12Many medicines have at least 2 different names.
One is the brand name – created by the pharmaceutical company that made the medicine. The other the generic name – the name of the active ingredient in the medicine. When you buy supermarket “own brands” they usually just use the generic name.
These medicines:
Are usually cheaper
May look different (be a different colour or shape)
But they are the same medicine
Generic Name
Why do people take medicines incorrectly?
2)
Confusion over the name (and shape and
colour
) of the medicine
Slide13Why do people take medicines incorrectly?
3)
Not understanding what the directions mean
The next few pages will help you to understand a bit more about what the ‘directions’ on the medicine labels mean.
They can often be confusing, and can be written in a way that could have more than one meaning. The next few pages describes some of the more commonly written directions, and explains what they actually mean.
Slide14What do the directions mean?
“One to be taken when required”
“To be taken an hour before food or on an empty stomach”
“… with or after food”
“Take as directed”
“One to be taken three times a day”
“ One to be taken at night”
Slide15Practicing Teach-Back
Activity
Work in pairs.
O
ne person to be the
‘friend/relative’
who will be giving information and advice on taking medicine safely and effectively.
The other person to be the
‘older person’
who is getting confused with taking their medicine.
Read the context, then role play the scenario.
Swap roles, if time.
Feedback.
Slide16Additional instructions
Known as ‘warning’ or’ cautionary’ instructions
Swallow whole - Do not crush
Take before or on empty stomach
Take after food
Take regularly and complete course
Allow to dissolve under tongue
Take with plenty of water
Apply sparingly
Rinse mouth after use
Shake the bottle
Slide17Link to daily activity i.e. getting up, having breakfast
Make a reminder chart or use a tick box system
Store medicines in a place that acts as a reminder i.e. beside the kettle
Take advantage of technology
Why do people take medicines incorrectly?
4) Not knowing when or for how long to take their medicines
Slide18How long to take the medicine for?
Many patients think a medicine is for a short course
Patients should not stop taking their prescription medicine until they have checked with the doctor
Some medicines can be dangerous if stopped abruptly
Slide19Why do people take medicines incorrectly?
5) Not knowing how best to take their medicines
Slide20Taking tablets and capsules
Have a drink of cold water ready
Make sure you are upright and comfortable
Take a sip of drink then place the medicine on the middle of the tongue and swallow. Keep the chin slightly downwards
Finish the drink
Slide21Shake the bottle
Measure the correct dose
If using oral dose syringe expel liquid to the middle of tongue NOT back of throat
Clean the bottle with damp tissue before replacing lid
Liquid medicines
Slide22Soluble, effervescent or dispersible formulations
Take the correct amount of tablets from original container
Place in a third of tumbler of cold water
Swirl the solution gently in the glass to ensure adequate mixing
Some products do not taste nice so drink more water afterwards
Slide23Creams, ointments and gels
Use only as instructed
Apply only where prescribed
ie
. arm, leg
Smallest quantity that will easily rub in
Use only for as long as stated
ie
antibiotic creams
Wear disposable gloves
Transfer the quantity needed to the glove
Gently rub into the skin
Dispose of gloves in a sealed polythene bag and place in general waste container
Slide24Follow the directions on the label
Wash your hands
Remove contact lenses, (then wait 15 minutes before put them back in)
Shake the bottle
Be careful not to let the tip of the dropper touch any part of your eye.
Make sure the dropper stays clean.
Leave 5 minutes between drops
Eye drops
Slide25Tilt your head back and look at the ceiling
Using your index finger, pull down your lower eyelid to form a pocket.
Gently squeeze 1 drop into the pocket.
Gently close your eyes and lightly press on the inside corners of your eyes.
Carefully blot away any excess liquid that may be on your skin.
Slide26Or get a gadget to help!
Slide27Apply the same way as drops by forming a pocket with the bottom lidHold the tube above the eye and gently squeeze a 1cm line of ointment along the inside of the lower eyelid
Blink eyes to spread the ointment over the surface of the eyeball.
Wipe away any excess ointment with a clean tissue.
Eye ointment
Slide28Why do people take medicines incorrectly?
6) Suffering from side effects of medicines
Slide29What side-effects might you see?
Activity
Work in pairs
List as many side-effects as you can
Slide30Where to find information about side-effects
Patient information leaflet
Very common: more than 1 in 10 people are affected
Common: between 1 in 10 and 1 in 100 people are affected
Uncommon: between 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,000 people are affected
Rare: between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 10,000 people are affected
Very rare: fewer than 1 in 10,000 people are affected
If worried, or experiencing a rare or very rare side effect then ask for help:
Pharmacist, Doctor
NHS 111
Slide31Why do people take medicines incorrectly?7) Practical issues such as getting medicines out of the containers
Child resistant containers?
What can be done to overcome the problem?:
Request non child proof tops
Ask for wing tops – (not always available)
Ask for blister packs rather than bottles
Family may consider:
Leave lids loose
Put tablets out on trays etc
Slide32Some other good practice...
Storage of medicines
In general;
Safe
Cool & dry out of sun
Original containers
Only some goes in fridge
Keep oral medicine separate from external medicine
Slide33Disposing of medicines
Don’t keep used or out of date medicines in the home.
Never throw into the bin
Never put liquid medicines down the sink or the toilet
Take them back to pharmacy