Keep a Record of Your Medicines

Keeping an up-to-date record or list of the medicines you take may help protect you from an error. First, it helps you and your family remember all the medicines you are taking. Next, it helps your doctors, nurses, and pharmacists make sure that the medicines prescribed for you can be taken safely together. This list will also be important if you are hospitalized. The healthcare team at the hospital will use your list to determine if the medicine should be continued while you are in the hospital. Finally, your doctor can determine if any illness or symptoms you experience are related to the medicine you take.

To create an up-to-date medicine list, think about the doctors you visit and the medicines each one has prescribed for you. Then, think about your health conditions and the over-the-counter (OTC) and prescription medicines you take. Remember to list eye and ear drops, ointments and creams, patches, and inhalers. Don’t forget to include any vitamins, supplements, and herbal products you take to stay healthy.

There are a number of steps you can take to prevent errors with medicines.

First, write down the answers to the following questions:

Next, help your doctors keep you safe by doing the following:

To help organize your medicine list, ISMP has provided the following resources for you to download and/or print:

For a PDF version of this form click here.

To download a Word document click here.