Oct. 18, 2003 — As part of National Pharmacy Week Oct. 20-24, the Pharmacy Department at the Roy Lester Schneider Hospital/ Myrah Keating Smith Community Health Center is sponsoring, in partnership with the Pfizer Corp., two public programs on medication safety.
Prescription drug problems are on the rise, a release said, with hospital emergency rooms seeing a dramatic increase in visits tied to prescription drugs.
An estimated 5 percent of hospital admissions are caused by adverse reactions to medications or reactions between two or more drugs taken at the same time, one study found. Other studies show that another 10 to 25 percent of admissions are due to people not taking medication correctly.
Prescription drugs are essential for many health conditions, and drug safety is a must. Since many people take more than one medication, it is important to learn how to take medication safely.
The public is invited to attend presentations by Dr. Luis Abreu, a clinical education consultant with the Pfizer Corp., on Tuesday, Oct. 21, at the Myrah Keating Smith Center on St. John, and on Wednesday, Oct. 22, at Schneider Hospital.
"Know When You Need a Refill" will be at 9 a.m. and at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Keating Center, and again at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday at the Schneider Hospital.
"What You Should Know about Medicines Reacting with One Another" will be at 11 a.m. and at 3 p.m. Tuesday at the St. John Center, and again at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Wednesday at the Schneider Hospital.
"We are urging the public to come out to this free event to learn more about the importance of prescription drug safety," said Rodney E. Miller, CEO of the Schneider Hospital. "Information from these presentations will empower patients with knowledge about prescription medicines and how to use them," he said.
The lectures will be given in the conference room at each facility.
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