Medication Wallet Card
Do you know your meds?
Carry a record of your medications on a wallet card
If someone asked you to recall the names and doses of all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you take - including any vitamins, herbs and dietary supplements - could you answer correctly and completely? According to a recent study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, only 12 out of 43 patients (28 percent) could list all of their medications after being discharged from a large teaching hospital.
"It's hard for patients to produce a list of all their medications when they make a sudden or unexpected visit to the hospital," says Jill Kan, a Clinical Pharmacy Specialist at Mercy Hospital of Folsom. Medication names often have challenging pronunciations or spellings and a trade (brand) name, as well as a generic name. Some, such as Prozac and Prilosec, sound similar and may be easily confused.
"It's important for healthcare personnel to be aware of all the medications their patient is taking, especially in an emergency," says Ron DiGiambattista, a Mercy Folsom Pharmacist. For example, a surgeon needs to be aware of any blood-thinning medications - even aspirin therapy - in a patient's system so they can take measures to prevent excessive bleeding during an emergency operation. Having a current, complete medication list also cuts down on the risk of adverse drug interactions and double prescribing for the same condition when a patient sees more than one doctor.
A potentially life-saving solution
Luckily, Mercy Folsom has a simple way to help you protect your health: a handy wallet card on which you can record and easily access your personal medication list. "We put together an accordion-shaped card that, when folded, is about the size of a credit card," DiGiambattista says. The card features areas to list all medications, their doses, how often you take them, your prescribing doctors' names and any allergies.
If all of your information won't fit on one card, use two or three, DiGiambattista suggests. And it's important to keep the information on the card current. DiGiambattista suggests reviewing and updating your wallet card information each time you're waiting to see your doctor or pick up a prescription. Then you can go over the updated list with your doctor or pharmacist on the spot.
Get your free medication card today
Carry a list of the medications you take wherever you go with Mercy Hospital of Folsom's medication wallet card. E-mail your request, along with your name and address, and tell us how many medication cards you want. We'll mail your free card(s) and pick up the postage, too.
