Assignment 2: Promoting Medication Safety - Create A Pill Re

Assignment 2promoting Medication Safety Create A Pill Reminder Card

Students should create a customized, electronic document that will serve as a Pill Reminder Card for Maya. Students should include the name of each medicine, the dose, important information in easy to understand terms (recalling Maya’s low health literacy), use easily understandable graphics/clip art for time of day such as morning or bedtime, include a picture of the pill/product such as shape/size, and pictures that help Maya remember what the pill is for (such as an eye for the glaucoma medication). Students should use actual medication pictures in the document and select clip art that is appropriate. Neatness and clarity of the Pill Reminder Card is essential.

Paper For Above instruction

Creating an effective pill reminder card for Maya Steele necessitates a comprehensive understanding of her medication regimen, health literacy level, and visual needs. The primary objective is to develop an accessible, clear, and personalized tool to assist Maya in managing her complex medication schedule accurately, thereby significantly reducing her risk of medication errors.

To ensure the pill reminder card meets Maya’s needs, the first step involves consolidating all her medications with a focus on their purpose, dosage, frequency, and special instructions. Maya’s chronic conditions—hypertension, hyperlipidemia, Type II Diabetes Mellitus, GERD, osteoporosis, allergic rhinitis, glaucoma, and mild anxiety—are each managed with specific medications, which must be clearly represented on the card. For example, Atenolol and Timolol are for blood pressure and glaucoma, respectively; Metformin is for blood sugar control; and Alendronate addresses osteoporosis. Recognizing the importance of clarity, it is essential to translate medical jargon into simple, comprehensible language. For instance, instead of "antihypertensive," use "to help lower blood pressure," and specify that Alendronate must be taken "once a week, before food and remaining upright for 30 minutes."

The next step involves selecting appropriate images for each medication to enhance visual recognition. This includes obtaining actual pill photographs from reputable sources such as WebMD’s Pill Identification Tool, which allows for accurate visual representations of each drug’s shape and size. These images should be resized to fit neatly on the card without compromising clarity. Consequently, each medication entry should include its name, dose, and an image of the pill, coupled with an icon or image indicating the time of day—such as a sun for morning, a moon for evening, or a bed for bedtime. Including a picture of the medication container or a visual cue related to the medication’s purpose—like an eye for glaucoma—can further reinforce memory and understanding.

Design considerations should prioritize readability, simplicity, and accessibility. Using large, easy-to-read fonts, high-contrast colors, and uncluttered layouts ensures Maya can easily distinguish between medications and their schedules. Incorporating clip art or icons that symbolize "morning," "afternoon," and "evening" can promote adherence by providing intuitive visual cues. For medications like Alendronate that require specific instructions—such as taking it 30 minutes before eating and staying upright—highlighting these instructions prominently on the card using simple language and pictorial cues enhances safety.

To exemplify, the card might have a section listing each medication with labels such as "Morning," "Afternoon," or "Bedtime" with corresponding images. Under each category, the medication name, dose, and a picture of the pill will be displayed alongside an icon indicating the time of day. For instance, the Metformin could be accompanied by a breakfast plate icon if taken with food in the morning and before bed at night. The eye drops (Timolol) and nasal spray (Fluticasone) should have clear pictorial instructions for self-administration, denoting the correct eye or nostril. This organized visual approach caters to Maya’s decreased vision and low health literacy, fostering confidence in medication management.

In conclusion, creating a comprehensive, easy-to-understand, and visually engaging pill reminder card tailored for Maya requires careful selection of accurate medication images, simple language, and intuitive graphics. Such a tool can significantly empower Maya to adhere to her complex medication regimen, improve her health outcomes, and reduce her risk of medication errors. The process underscores the importance of patient-centered education tools, especially for individuals with low health literacy and visual challenges, thereby promoting medication safety and enhancing quality of life.

References

• American Pharmacists Association. (2020). Medication safety tips for older adults. Journal of the American Pharmacists Association, 60(2), 188-195.
• Black, P., & O’Meara, S. (2021). Visual aids in patient education: optimizing medication adherence. Patient Education and Counseling, 104(5), 1124-1130.
• Higgins, J., & Green, S. (2011). Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The Cochrane Collaboration.
• Kerr, K., et al. (2018). Low health literacy and medication errors: a systematic review. Journal of Patient Safety, 14(4), e25-e30.
• National Institutes of Health. (2022). Medication management strategies for safe use. Retrieved from https://www.nih.gov/health-information/medications
• Radford, M. et al. (2020). The role of images in patient safety: A systematic review. BMJ Quality & Safety, 29(1), 43-50.
• U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2018). Medication labeling and information. Retrieved from https://www.fda.gov/drugs
• World Health Organization. (2019). Patient safety curriculum guide. WHO Press.
• Zhao, Y., et al. (2019). Effectiveness of pictorial aids in improving medication adherence among older adults. Geriatric Nursing, 40, 458-464.
• WebMD. (n.d.). Pill Identification Tool. Retrieved from https://www.webmd.com/pill-identification