Patient Safety Week 2017 is on the theme of medication safety Patient Safety Week begins on 5 November and encourages people to find out the answer to some simple questions that will help them get the most from their medicines. As always, talking to your prescriber or community pharmacist is best – or you can always try the MyMedicines website. You can now access information you can trust about your medicines at mymedicines.nz/cdhb. Join the growing ranks of people who are taking responsibility for their own health by finding out what they are taking and why. In 2011 there were 66,012 views of the database. By 2016 that number had risen to 206,782, showing people are more interested than ever before.
16 | Spring 2017
Another way you can make your home safer is by checking for old or expired medicines. Thanks to a joint initiative with the Canterbury Community Pharmacy Group you can now take them to your local pharmacy for safe disposal. If they are no longer in the house they can’t be taken by mistake, or worse still, found by a young child! Talk to your pharmacy team first though. As well as making a valuable connection with your pharmacy, they will advise you how to package them safely for return. ■