Wishek Community Hospital & Clinics

What you don't know about your medications

could hurt you!

 

   How much do you know about the medications you are taking? Are you aware you may be taking pills that react negatively to each other and don’t help you?

   Health care providers at Wishek Community Hospital and Clinics say it happens all too frequently and are urging area residents who take any type of medications to bring them along to all doctor visits.

   Dr. Donald Kosiak says it is critical to the quality of health care for providers to know what medications a patient is taking. "It’s so much easier to provide good care if we see exactly what pills a patient is taking," Kosiak said.

  He explained that if a patient sees multiple health care providers, medication may be prescribed without knowledge of what other meds the patient is taking. "Other providers may prescribe something and we might not have it in our charts for the patient," he said. "Errors can happen, medications can be doubled up. Very simply, every time you see a health care provider, we urge you to put your pill bottles in a bag and bring them with you." WCHC even provides medication bags free of charge to patients to make it easier for them.
   Hospital officials say it is important to bring both over-the-counter drugs as well as prescribed medication. Non-prescription medications such as vitamins and herbal supplements also play a role in a patient’s health care and should be brought to the provider’s attention.

   When a patient brings in their medications, health care providers will assess what is being taken to make sure they work well together and ensure there are no duplications or unnecessary prescriptions. Secondly, patients will receive a wallet card listing all medications being taken which can be shown to any health care provider the patient sees in the future.

   WCHC has undertaken this effort for two reasons, Kosiak explained. First, to help educate patients on the medications they are taking, and, secondly, to make sure doctors and physician assistants can provide the best health care possible.

   Kosiak encourages area residents to contact any member of the Wishek Community Hospital & Clinics medical staff for more information on how they can take a more active role in controlling their medication usage, the expense associated with them and their own health.

Dr. Donald Kosiak

 

 

 

 

 

 

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