April 25, 2018: SafeMedicationUse.ca Newsletter - Using Your Own Medications While in Hospital
When you are staying in a hospital, the hospital pharmacy will supply any medications that you need. Sometimes, though, the hospital may not have all the medications that you take at home. In these cases, you may be asked to bring your own supply from home. It's important that you do not use any medications on your own, unless you've talked to your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist at the hospital.SafeMedicationUse.ca received a report about parents who brought an over-the-counter pain cream to the hospital to apply to their child's burns. The pain cream had not been prescribed by the doctor at the hospital and was not checked by a pharmacist before it was used. The cream was applied to the burns during a dressing change. Unfortunately, the child's damaged skin allowed too much of the pain medication in the cream to be absorbed, and the child had a seizure. Read more ...
• Tips for Practitioners
