What Should You Know about  “Home Medication”

“Home Medications” or “Patient’s Own Medication” are medications that you have been taking at home prior to admission to the hospital.

For patient’s own safety, patients admitted to FV Hospital must not bring and use their own medications during the hospital stay. However, subject to pharmacist’s verification, exception for use of patient’s own medication can be permitted only and only if:

1. The home medication is not in the FVH Hospital Drug Formulary AND a reasonable therapeutic substitution is not possibly available at Pharmacy AND doctor considers continuation of the medication treatment is an absolute necessity

OR

2. The doctor decides to continue a medication treatment that the patient has recently purchased for himself at FV Outpatient Pharmacy.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO AND KNOW ABOUT HOME MEDICATIONS?

• Please bring with you all the medications that you are regularly taking at home including any traditional, supplement and herbal products.
• Please inform the list of the home medications to your doctor or nurse or pharmacist for their review.
• Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will document the home medications in your medical record.
• Your doctor and pharmacist will review the home medications, and subsequently doctor will prescribe the most efficient and safe treatment for you while being admitted in FV Hospital. This process if termed “Medication reconciliation”.
• Only home medications that are approved for use will be kept by your nurse and your nurse will administer such home medications after a physical integrity check by our pharmacists.
• Home medications that are not approved for use will be returned to you for your care giver to take home. This is to ensure that you do not take your home medications while you are in hospital.
• You are strongly advised to take only medication served by our nurses that have been ordered by your doctor for your medical condition(s). Self administration of medications is not allowed while you are in the hospital.

WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE RISKS IF YOU CONTINUE TO TAKE ‘HOME MEDICATION’ DURING YOUR HOSPITAL STAY?

• Over dose or under dose of medication

If you continue to take your home medications like you normally do at home prior to hospital admission and our nurse also administer newly prescribed medications to you, this could result in overdose due to double administration or under dose due to missed dose if you forget to take your own home medications.

• Lack of monitoring of medication effects

If you are on certain potent medications with very narrow therapeutic window like warfarin or digoxin, it is critical that your doctor or nurse or pharmacists monitor the efficacy of these medications and its possible side effects or adverse reactions.

If you continue to take your home medications without our knowledge when you admitted in the hospital, we would have great difficulty in monitoring the medication effects as well as managing any problems related to the medications should they occur.

We seek your understanding and co-operation on the above safe medication practices in order for us to ensure your safety and positive medication treatment outcome.