Check Up - Cohen
Check Up - Cohen
Check Up guest Blogger Michael Cohen
Occasionally, things go wrong when prescriptions are being prepared at the pharmacy. For example, one person's medicine may be placed into a bag that...
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Your dog’s prescription might look just like yours
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Most people consider their pets as part of the family. But just like you wouldn’t want to take another family member’s medicines by mistake, you don’t want to accidentally take your pet’s medicine either.
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Kids can confuse nicotine lozenges as candy mints
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In Chicago last month 16 elementary school children were taken to local hospitals with a sudden illness. The children were 9- and 10-year olds who began vomiting after eating “mints” given to them by a classmate. It was later found that these “mints” were actually nicotine replacement lozenges, called NiQuitin Minis.
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Simple packaging change can reduce Rx drug diversion
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We get a lot of complaints from consumers who tell us their pharmacy shorted them on the number of tablets or capsules they were supposed to get when they had their prescription filled. A report we got last week is typical.
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Hospitals asked to rethink use of insulin pens
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A big issue that a couple of New York hospitals have been dealing with is notifying patients that they may have been exposed to HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C through the improper sharing of insulin pens.
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Health insurance plays gender favorites in covering overactive bladder drug
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Late last month the FDA approved a new drug called Oxytrol for Women - the first over-the-counter treatment for overactive bladder (OAB) in women ages 18 years and older. OAB symptoms include leaking urine (urinary incontinence), having a sudden and urgent need to urinate, and frequent urination. The condition is said to affect an estimated 33 million Americans, the majority of whom are older women.The drug, also available by prescription, is a skin patch that contains oxybutynin, which helps relax the bladder muscle.
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Should doctors and patients be informed when high-risk pharmacy compounded products are used?
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There is inherent risk when a compounding pharmacy acts as a manufacturer using non-sterile drug powder. In most states, including Pennsylvania, compounding pharmacy sterile processes do not undergo intensive state inspection. Should these conditions warrant disclosure to those prescribing and administering the medication and to patients who receive the compounded medications?
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10 over-the-counter medicines abused by teens
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Is your medicine cabinet a source for a teen’s legal “high?” Because a doctor’s prescription is not needed, many mistakenly believe that over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are safer than prescription medicines and illegal street drugs. They are in fact safe and effective when taken as directed, but even OTC medicines—including herbals—can cause serious and potentially fatal side effects when abused.
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These drug names are too close for comfort
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Look-alike and sound-alike similarity between the names of two different medications used in epilepsy might be putting children in jeopardy of getting the wrong medication. The drugs are clobazam and clonazepam.
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Overdose risk with baby’s vitamin D drops
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For newborns and older infants who are breastfed or partially breast fed, vitamin D is essential for babies to absorb calcium and build strong bones and teeth. So the AAP recommends that every breast fed baby receive a daily 400 unit dose of vitamin D supplementation. But it’s important for mothers and other caregivers to avoid giving too much vitamin D to their baby. Of particular concern is accidental overdose.
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2012's top 10 drug safety stories
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In my entire career at the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, the meningitis outbreak was the worst safety disaster that I have ever seen, making 2012 a watershed year in drug safety stories. Check out the year’s top 10 worst cases in drug safety.
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Don’t let “Low T” lead to harm in kids
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What isn’t emphasized enough about these products is that their use can lead to adverse effects in children who are accidentally exposed to the drug. And that’s not hard to do since it easily gets on your hands, fingers, clothing, and bed sheets when applied. Then, people forget to wash their hands and forget that kids can absorb the drug upon contact.
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Know what to expect when a prescription is sent electronically
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In the past, you got a hand written prescription, where at least you could usually make out the drug name. But with e-prescribing, you may not be given anything in writing and you may not know what to expect at the pharmacy.
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Ten steps parents should take to prevent medicine mishaps
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Few caregivers are more devoted than parents when caring for a child. Yet, even the most cautious and educated parents will make mistakes when giving medicine to children or fail to protect children from accidental poisonings.
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Less acetaminophen in each tablet of Vicodin
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There are more than 600 different prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines that contain acetaminophen (Tylenol). These medicines are safe and effective when used as directed. However, severe liver damage can occur from taking too much acetaminophen. In most cases, this can happen if you take more than the prescribed or recommended dose of acetaminophen or if you take more than one product containing acetaminophen.
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Ten tips for measuring over-the-counter liquid medications safely
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If you are taking liquid medicines or administering them to a child, consider these 10 safety strategies to prevent errors.
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New legislation would help users identify source of a compounded drug
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In response to the national outbreak of fungal meningitis, it makes sense for healthcare providers to seriously consider whether they have an ethical and legal obligation to inform end users when they dispense high risk sterile products prepared by a compounding pharmacy.
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Pharmacy Behind Meningitis Outbreak, Begins National Recall
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Ameridose LLC, a compounding pharmacy that shares ownership with New England Compounding Center (NECC), the pharmacy behind the meningitis outbreak, has begun a national voluntary recall of all products.
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Over-the-counter eye drop danger
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Here’s advice about seemingly harmless over-the-counter eye drops, such as Visine and similar products containing the active ingredients tetrahydrozoline, oxymetazoline, or naphazoline. These drugs are quite dangerous if ingested. Severe side effects have been documented after swallowing as little as a teaspoonful.
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PA lacks patient protection against sterile compounding errors
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Pennsylvania is one of only 5 states in the US that lacks regulations for compounding pharmacies to follow when preparing and dispensing sterile medications
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Meningitis cases spotlight broken system
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The deadly, multistate meningitis outbreak we are currently dealing with brings much needed scrutiny to the compounding pharmacy business, and serves as a loud wake-up call.
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Are you taking the right amount of water with your medicine?
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Water helps medicine pass from your mouth to your stomach and small intestine and to be absorbed to give the desired action. Swallowing medicines without enough water may prevent the medicine from acting properly and may even lead to undesired side effects in some cases.
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Using medicines applied to the skin safely
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Most people wouldn’t think twice about the potential for harm when applying over-the-counter creams, lotions, ointments, sprays or patches to the skin. But there is real danger. Here's how to avoid it.
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Identifying medications by storage location is risky
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You’d be surprised how many medication errors involve patients identify their medication based on the overall appearance of the container and where it is usually stored, never actually reading the label. Doing that is a set up for errors.
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Prescription speed-ups leading to errors
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Speed should not be a primary determinant when selecting a community pharmacy. But that's exactly what people seem to want most from their pharmacy – to get in and get out fast when they need a prescription filled.
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Insulin safety for people who inject with a 'pen'
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For convenience, many insulin dependent diabetics carry their insulin in a prefilled syringe available from drug manufacturers. The device is called an insulin pen because it sort of looks like a pen and can be carried in your pocket. Unfortunately, not every insulin dependent patient knows how to use their pen in the proper way and they sometimes place themselves at dangerous risk of complications.
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Voice guided auto-injector is welcome news for allergy patients
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Last week the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi announced FDA approval of their new product, Auvi-Q, a new concept in drug auto-injectors for patients with a history of a severe reaction after a bee sting, or exposure to certain foods like peanuts or shellfish.
More posts by guest blogger by Michael Cohen
Meet our Bloggers
About Michael Cohen
Michael Cohen is president of the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP), a non-profit healthcare organization that operates the voluntary and confidential ISMP Medication Error Reporting Program. Through ISMP MERP medical professionals and consumers learn about the causes of medication errors. Error-reduction strategies are shared with the healthcare community, policy makers, and the public.
Michael is a pharmacy graduate of Temple University School of Pharmacy. He also holds a masters degree from Temple and has received honorary doctor of science degrees from the University of Sciences and Long Island University as well as a doctor of public service from the University of Maryland.
He serves as vice chair of the Patient Safety Advisory Group for The Joint Commission and a member of the National Quality Forum Committee on Safe Practices for Better Healthcare. He served recently as a member of the Committee on Identifying and Preventing Medication Errors for the Institute of Medicine and is a consultant for FDA for its Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Panel.
In 2005 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. In 2008 he became the 2008 recipient of the John Eisenberg Award for Patient Safety given jointly by The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum.
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