If you've ever been frustrated by patients who don't -- or perhaps can't -- take their prescription or other medications as instructed, then the AAFP Foundation may have the perfect toolkit for your office.
Toolkit Helps Ensure Patients Understand Medication Use
By News Staff
11/22/2006
The toolkit -- Play It Safe … With Medicine!TM -- provides concrete tools and resources to enhance physician communication with patients regarding their medications, particularly with patients who are elderly or who have limited English language proficiency. The tools focus on helping patients gain a better understanding of their medications and take more responsibility for their health care, as well as on how family physicians can better help their patients understand those medications.
Patient education resources in the toolkit include
Patient education resources in the toolkit include
- separately developed English- and Spanish-language brochures that include specific guidelines to help patients better understand and follow their physicians' medication instructions;
- pictorial stickers to help readily identify some of the more common types of medication;
- an English- and Spanish-language DVD featuring testimonials from physicians, patients and pharmacists that can be played in the waiting room to highlight the proper steps involved in taking medications; and
- a pillbox display designed to help patients take their medication properly.
The Play It Safe toolkit also contains physician tools and resources, including a prescription pad cover with an accompanying prescription pad reorder request sample, both of which incorporate a language checkbox so patients can request patient education materials in their native language from the pharmacy. The toolkit also contains a CD-ROM, which houses
- a listing of cultural considerations for physicians;
- information about the ETHNIC (Explanation, Treatment, Healers, Negotiate, Intervention, Collaboration) mnemonic device to assist in interviewing patients; and
- PDF files and links to various online resources, including Web sites for multilingual health resources, Web-based cultural proficiency and health literacy resources, and a list of interpretation resources.
AAFP members pay only a $14.95 shipping charge for the toolkit; nonmembers pay $25.95 plus the shipping fee. The toolkit may be ordered online or by calling (800) 944-0000 and requesting item no. 660.
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