Medication errors: Cut your risk with these tips

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Content What exactly are medication errors? How do medication errors happen? Know how to prevent medication errors Participate in medication reconciliation Avoid these mistakes Make safety a habit A final word on medication errors

The following medication errors have happened to some people. Don't make these same mistakes:

Confusing eardrops and eyedrops. Always double-check the label. If a medication says "otic," it's for the ears. If it says "ophthalmic," it's for the eyes.
Chewing nonchewables. Don't assume chewing a pill is as good as swallowing it. Some medications should never be chewed, cut or crushed. Doing so may change how they're absorbed by the body.
Cutting up pills. Never split pills unless your doctor or pharmacist has told you it's safe to do so. Some medications shouldn't be cut because they're specially coated to be long acting or to protect the stomach.
Using the wrong spoon. The spoons in your silverware drawer aren't measuring spoons. To get an accurate dose, use an oral syringe (available at pharmacies) or the dose cup that came with the medication.