Avoid every parent’s nightmare by following this checklist

Medication errors are scary enough when they happen to us, but when pharmacies and other people supposed to keep us safe from these mistakes fail to keep our children safe from medicine mistakes the consequences are awful. As a parent, it’s your worst nightmare to think something you gave to your child made them sick or worse. Medication errors in dosage or type of medicine can quickly be fatal for children because their bodies are so much smaller than ours. What can we do to protect our kids from medication mistakes at the pharmacy? Plenty! First of all, you want to be sure you understand why your child needs medicine, what the dosing instructions are, and how long your child needs to take the
medicine.

Follow this checklist with your child’s medicine while you are at the doctor’s office:

• Why does my child need to take this medicine?
• Is the dose right for his/her weight and age?
• For how long do I need to give my child this medicine?
• Do you know my child’s weight?
• Are all his/her other medicines on file, along with all food and drug allergies?
• Once you have the answers to these questions, then write down, with proper spelling, the name, dosage and use instructions for the medicine.

At the pharmacy, check this:

• Do the name of the drug and the instructions and dose strength on the label match my notes?
• Have I spoken with the pharmacist about this medicine and side effects to watch for in my child?
• Did the pharmacist check the label for dosage and use instructions?
• Does the pharmacy have a complete list of my child’s allergies to food and drugs, and a complete list of all medicines and vitamins my child uses?

With the number of doctors and pharmacists shrinking, and the number of patients growing as the population ages, you are the best, and often the only, advocate for yourself and your family. Learn about all the medicines you and your family take and why you need them. Make sure all your allergies to food and drugs are on file with the pharmacy and the offices of every doctor you see. No one wants anything bad to happen to anyone’s children. The human factor in every prescription and every medical situation means that no one of any age or economic status is immune to medication mistakes. The thought of having such a terrible thing happen to your child is frightening. We love our children, and as parents, we have an obligation to keep them safe. We also must depend on healthcare professionals to help us keep our children safe. To avoid the injury or death of a child due to pharmacy error, it is important to be sure all our questions are answered, and that we are getting the doctors and the pharmacists on the same page when it comes to our children’s medications.

Visit www.kennedyattorney.com and download a free checklist to help you avoid every parent’s worst nightmare – children’s medication errors.

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