Staff at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance are urging local residents to ask doctors and nurses more questions about the medication they're taking.
The Chatham-Kent Health Alliance's Pharmacy team held a presentation on the issue at the Frank & Mary Uniac Auditorium, in celebration of Canadian Patient Safety Week.
CKHA Director of Pharmacy Nancy Kay led the forum, along with pharmacists Peter Gillier and Owain Graham.
"We thought this year it'd be great to get the patients involved and help kind of enforce their role in their care and safety," says Kay.
During the forum five questions to ask a doctor, nurse or pharmacist had been highlighted:
1. Are there any change's to the medication?
2. Should I continue using this medication?
3. How do I properly take the medication?
4. What side effects should I be monitoring?
5. Do I need a follow-up?
"When you're seeing your physician, whether you're coming to Emergency [or not] we want you to ask those questions so that you have a full grasp," says Kay.
This is the first public forum the CKHA has had regarding medication safety. Hospital staff aren't seeing an increase in medication abuse, but they still want to make people more aware of what they're taking.