Safely use Warfarin
Many patients are harmed every day because they are incorrectly taking their prescribed oral anticoagulation therapy, warfarin. This very important "blood thinner" has an unpredictable reaction in many patients and interacts with many medications creating unsafe situations for patients in which serious bleeding and possibly death may occur.
If you are taking warfarin you should take this opportunity to discuss its safe use with your clinician and pharmacist. Please be sure to take your medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor or healthcare provider.
From ISMP:
“A recent report by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) notes that some health professionals and patients may not realize that Jantoven is a brand name for the drug warfarin. That could result in inadvertently prescribing and dispensing two warfarin-containing medications for the same patient.
ISMP cites the case of a patient who had been taking warfarin at home and continued the drug while in the hospital. On discharge, the physician instructed that the patient continue warfarin at home, and he wrote a new warfarin prescription. The community pharmacy dispensed Jantoven without discussing the nature of the drug with the patient or asking whether the patient was already taking warfarin. The patient, not realizing that the newly prescribed drug was warfarin by another name, took both medications, and that resulted in a severely elevated INR.
ISMP suggests several ways to avoid these kinds of errors, including:
• If a brand name warfarin is prescribed, show both the brand name and the generic name on the prescription label.
• When writing or dispensing the prescription, discuss the nature of the drug with the patient to be sure that he or she is not already taking another warfarin-containing drug.
• When patients are discharged from the hospital, counsel them about the prescriptions they are receiving and what each of them is for.”
Discuss this with your physician, nurse or other healthcare provider as well as your pharmacist.
Always reconcile all medications at every visit to protect yourself and/or your patients from harm.
Warfarin is a life saving medication that is very important in the treatment of serious diseases, but must be taken carefully with the assistance of the pharmacist, physician and entire healthcare team with the patient at the center of the equation...Always take medication exactly as prescribed and ask questions if you are unclear or confused about how to safely use your medications.
ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Warfarin by Generic Name. Volume 13, Issue 19. September 25, 2008.
http://www.ismp.org/newsletters/acutecare/articles/20080925-1.asp
If you are taking warfarin you should take this opportunity to discuss its safe use with your clinician and pharmacist. Please be sure to take your medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor or healthcare provider.
From ISMP:
“A recent report by the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) notes that some health professionals and patients may not realize that Jantoven is a brand name for the drug warfarin. That could result in inadvertently prescribing and dispensing two warfarin-containing medications for the same patient.
ISMP cites the case of a patient who had been taking warfarin at home and continued the drug while in the hospital. On discharge, the physician instructed that the patient continue warfarin at home, and he wrote a new warfarin prescription. The community pharmacy dispensed Jantoven without discussing the nature of the drug with the patient or asking whether the patient was already taking warfarin. The patient, not realizing that the newly prescribed drug was warfarin by another name, took both medications, and that resulted in a severely elevated INR.
ISMP suggests several ways to avoid these kinds of errors, including:
• If a brand name warfarin is prescribed, show both the brand name and the generic name on the prescription label.
• When writing or dispensing the prescription, discuss the nature of the drug with the patient to be sure that he or she is not already taking another warfarin-containing drug.
• When patients are discharged from the hospital, counsel them about the prescriptions they are receiving and what each of them is for.”
Discuss this with your physician, nurse or other healthcare provider as well as your pharmacist.
Always reconcile all medications at every visit to protect yourself and/or your patients from harm.
Warfarin is a life saving medication that is very important in the treatment of serious diseases, but must be taken carefully with the assistance of the pharmacist, physician and entire healthcare team with the patient at the center of the equation...Always take medication exactly as prescribed and ask questions if you are unclear or confused about how to safely use your medications.
ISMP Medication Safety Alert! Warfarin by Generic Name. Volume 13, Issue 19. September 25, 2008.
http://www.ismp.org/newsletters/acutecare/articles/20080925-1.asp
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