Keeping a medication list that is actually right

Why medication lists go stale

Medication changes constantly and quietly. The pharmacy substitutes a brand. A hospital doctor stops one drug and starts another. A dose is halved at a review. Each change is obvious at the time and invisible three weeks later, which is exactly when someone checks the list before giving a dose.

The fridge note is not the problem. The problem is that it was accurate in March.

What to record for each medicine

• Name and strength. The one on the box, not the one everyone uses.
• Dose and timing. How much, how often, and whether it is with food.
• What it is for. One short phrase. This is what catches duplicates.
• Last change. What changed, who changed it, and the date.
• Prescriber. Which clinician owns this medicine.

A ten-minute monthly routine

1. Lay the current repeat prescription next to the list.
2. Read the list out loud, one line at a time, and tick each against the prescription.
3. Mark anything that appears on one but not the other.
4. Call the pharmacy for the differences rather than guessing.
5. Update the list the same day, and note the date at the top.

Make it findable in an emergency

When it matters most, nobody is going to log in and search. Keep a printed copy somewhere fixed and known to everyone in the circle, and keep the same list in KoalaCare so it can be read and updated from a phone. Print a fresh copy whenever the list changes, and throw the old one away.

If two copies exist, one of them is wrong, and you will find out at the worst possible moment.

Talking to professionals with one list

Bring the printed list to appointments and hand it over first. It changes the conversation from recall to review, and it stops the same questions being asked at every visit. Keep the paperwork that supports it findable too — see the documents worth keeping findable.

• medication
• medication list
• polypharmacy
• carer