Do you know about your heart meds?

Photography by James Moore

Ozarks Healthcare Pharmacist Scott Mahan Shares Tips to Prevent Medication Errors

Pharmacists are urging patients and their families to pay close attention to their prescriptions to ensure medications are taken safely and effectively.

“Problems with prescriptions have always been a concern, but the issue continues to grow as our population ages,” said Scott Mahan, a pharmacist with Ozarks Healthcare.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adverse drug events (ADEs) send 1.5 million people to the emergency department each year. About a third of these cases result in hospitalization due to prescription drugs being taken incorrectly.

Of these visits, approximately 600,000 involve individuals aged 65 and older, who make medication-related errors at twice the rate of younger age groups. The leading cause of ADE-related emergency visits is anticoagulants, which account for one in five cases. Diabetes medications, such as insulin, contribute to 14% of emergency visits, followed closely by antibiotics at 13%.

The Biggest Issue: Not Taking Medications as Prescribed

Mahan emphasized that one of the most common problems with medications isn’t how they’re taken—it’s that they aren’t taken at all.

“Compliance with doctors’ orders is probably the biggest issue we face, especially with heart medications, blood pressure medicines, and cholesterol medications. Because you don’t see immediate effects from taking them, people assume they’re not necessary,” he explained.

“Strokes and heart attacks are silent killers, so patients may feel they don’t need to take their blood pressure or cholesterol medication. Many eventually forget to take them or don’t get them refilled on time. That’s a major concern.”

Pharmacists Play a Key Role in Patient Education

Pharmacists serve as a critical support system, reinforcing physicians’ guidance on proper medication use. Patient education is a significant part of their job.

“There is a continued emphasis on educating the public about their medications to help prevent adverse drug interactions,” Mahan said. “We counsel patients on potential side effects and utilize software that checks for interactions. That’s why it’s important for people to get all their medications from the same pharmacy or, at the very least, inform their pharmacist about all their prescriptions. This allows us to check for conflicts or medications that may counteract each other.”

Tools to Stay on Track

Given the high rate of ADEs among seniors, older patients and their families should establish a system to ensure medications are taken correctly. Mahan highlighted several tools that can help, including mobile apps that send medication reminders and pill dispensers that allow users to pre-sort their medications.

“Pill organizers are one of the most effective tools we’ve found,” he said. “People can set up their medications for the entire week, with designated slots for morning, noon, and evening doses. This makes it easy to track whether medications have been taken for the day. Family members or home health nurses can also assist with organizing medications to ensure compliance.”

By taking these proactive steps, patients can significantly reduce the risk of medication-related complications and improve their overall health outcomes.