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M E D I C A T I O N
S A F E T Y
8. DON'T ASSUME Imagine you're a senior patient reading these
instructions, and imagine your "medical IQ" isn't off the charts.
Imagine further that you were a little groggy when you were given
instructions. Would you consider getting the drops out of the way
early every day — maybe 1 drop at 9 a.m., another at 10 a.m., another
at 11 a.m., etc., so you don't have to worry about it later? I know of a
situation where a patient taking 10mg of a heart medication 4 times
daily was told simply to "double it." Does that mean take the medication 8 times a day? Or does it mean increase the dose to 20mg? He
wasn't sure. I recommend being as specific as possible. Instead of "4
times a day," make it clear that you mean at 8 a.m., noon, 4 p.m. and
bedtime (or whatever is appropriate).
D E C E M B E R 2013 | O U T PAT I E N T S U R G E R Y M A G A Z I N E O N L I N E
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