Medication Awareness
I think this was a very interesting assignment to complete because people really do have such a wide variety of knowledge of their medications. Some people report that they take a “water pill” because of their heart while others might say that they take spironolactone 10mg to reduce their blood pressure. Others might be aware of their medications but simply have too many to keep track of them. As a result, it is so important that we evaluate an individual’s knowledge regarding their medications before we assume they know what their taking and understand why they’re taking it.
Of the five family members and friends that I talked to, I was partially surprised to learn that all five of them were able to give me the name of the medications (both prescribed and OTC) they take and why they take it. On one hand, I was not surprised to find out they all knew this information because this is a medication that you are putting into your body, and you should at least know what it is and why you’re ingesting it. However, from the other point of view, I was surprised to learn that they did know these medications because so many people don’t know the names of their medications or why they’re taking it. They just know that the doctor prescribed it, so they need to take it. In a way, it puts a lot of faith into the healthcare system when errors can happen.
Once I delved into more detailed questions, such as what dose they take, what side effects there are, and what the safe dosage range is, more people started to be unaware of their drugs. One individual knew all the information as he had researched it in depth while a second one stated that she always reads the box before she takes the medications. A third knew everything except the safe doses. The last two knew how many pills they took, but not the dosage, side effects, or safe range. One even laughed and stated that she just always takes two pills, and it’s not a problem. One also stated that she uses herbal remedies in conjunction with her medications, but is not aware if they interact with each other.
The medications that people had lower knowledge regarding were the OTC drugs. The individuals who were taking prescription drugs had a much greater knowledge, and one was even able to tell me the safe dosage range. However, while the OTC knowledge was lower, I do feel that the knowledge about OTC was greater than I anticipated. Both individuals discussing OTC were able to tell me what the generic names were as well as side effects of them. The ability to tell me the generic name was definitely surprising because I feel that many people aren’t aware of generic names, which creates problems with people taking too much of the main drug (e.g. acetaminophen with Tylenol, cough/cold meds, etc.). I was definitely happy with that range of knowledge.
Overall, I feel that the amount of knowledge people knew about their medications did surprise me, but it could be improved. It’s important that people have this information about medications so they can better protect themselves in case changes happen. This could easily be done when we are discussing medications with our patients in the hospital (explain the medications, provide medication handouts, etc.) or our family and friends when they are given a prescription drug or go to take an OTC medication. It is our job to help educate the community, and while we’ve made progress, we can still help improve their knowledge.
