Childhood Immunization Record
Keep track of your child's medical record
Patient Safety Awareness
March 4th - 7th is National Patient Safety Awareness Week.- Once or twice a year, go through your medicine cabinet and check expiration dates on both prescription and non-prescription medications. While most medications simply lose their potency past the listed expiration date, there are some that can be harmful to you if taken past the expiration date. If you cannot find an expiration date listed on the package, use common sense. If the package looks old and/or damaged, discard it. The general rule of thumb for prescriptions is to discard after 1 year from the date of fill.
- Carry in your wallet or purse a list of all medications you currently take (again both prescription and non-prescription), any drug allergies and names and phone numbers for your doctors. This is extremely helpful in case of an emergency if you are unconscious, incoherent or just having trouble remembering things. It is also a good idea to show this list to your doctor or pharmacist anytime you start a new medication so they can check for drug interactions or therapeutic duplications.
- Have a good idea of what your child weighs. Most pediatric medications are dosed by weight. Your doctor and/or pharmacist will need to know what the child weighs to figure out the correct dose. Never give an adult medication to a child without checking with a healthcare provider first.
- When you receive a prescription from the doctor, make sure you know the name of the medication, the strength, directions and any contraindications before leaving the office. When you pick up the prescription at the pharmacy, make sure the name, strength and directions on the label match what the doctor told you. If you have any questions or concerns, please ask before taking the medication, no matter how trivial it may seem.