Section 5: How to Access Information
About Medication
Approved national sources of information
about medication
Please read the following as it will help you answer questions 20 and 21.
In order to minimise the risk of error and to ensure that medication is correctly
administered you will need to be familiar with the medicines you administer. It is
therefore important to learn about the medicines you handle. As a minimum you
should be aware of:
what the medication is used for (the therapeutic use)
any side effects to look out for
ny special instructions/precautions, for example ‘take on an empty stomach’
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or if there are any foods or drinks the individual should avoid whilst taking
the medication
ny precautions or contra-indications, for example if the service user is pregnant,
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has liver problems, low blood pressure or is diabetic (there are also many other
contra-indications)
the normal dosage that should be administered
the form in which the medication should be administered
the route and timing of the administration
any special storage instructions
Practice tip
Did you know that grapefruit juice and cranberry juice can affect the way
in which some medicines work?
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Section 5: How to Access Information
About Medication
In addition to your manager, the prescribing officer and the pharmacist, there are
a number of places where you can access information about the medicines being
used within your workplace. The main national sources of information relating to
medication include:
Information supplied with the medication – depending on its classification,
the medicine will either have a Patient Safety Data Sheet (PSDS)/a Summary
of Product Characteristics (SPC); a Patient Information Leaflet (PIL); or instructions
on the box/label
eference information – the two most frequently used reference sources are the
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British National Formulary (BNF) or Monthly Index of Medical Specialities (MIMS).
These can also be accessed online at www.bnf.org or www.emims.net
ervice user information and documentation – often, service users themselves
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will be able to provide a lot of the information that you need regarding the
medicines they are taking. Every service user within your care should have a care
plan; a Medicines Profile (MP); and a Medicine Administration Record (MAR). These
documents will provide up to date information about the service user’s medication
Websites – but be careful, not all information on the web is correct. Make sure
the site relates to the UK (the information on European or worldwide sites may not
meet UK guidance and regulations or may describe different dosages or
formulations than here).
rug companies – most pharmaceutical companies have dedicated medical
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information departments who should be able to answer any queries you may have
about their products
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Section 5: How to Access Information
About Medication
Information which should be supplied with medication
Please read the following as it will help you answer questions 22 and 23.
Product Information Leaflet (PIL)
The information supplied with medication is very important. It is a requirement of the
Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), that every medicine
should include a Product Information Leaflet (PIL). This applies to all medicines,
including those bought over the counter or from a pharmacist, and those supplied
on prescription. Product Information Leaflets (PILs) should even be supplied when
medicines are provided in a Monitored Dosage System (MDS). This information should
always be readily available to your service users.
By law, the information which must be supplied with all medication must include:
Ingredients – this includes the ‘active’ ingredients of the medicine, as well as the
ingredients used to make the tablet/capsule coating or the flavour/colour of the liquid
osage and administration – this describes the strength of the medicine and how
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frequently it should be taken
Indications (uses) – this should identify what the drug can be used for (e.g. to
manage asthma or to treat certain types of infection)
ontra-indications – these are situations when the medicine should not be taken,
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or things that should not be done when taking the medication. For example: do not
drink alcohol during the course of the medication (it may alter its effectiveness);
not suitable for certain age groups (e.g. children under 12) or if the person has
another condition (e.g. is pregnant or has diabetes)
pecial precautions – any special precautions that should be taken in order that
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the medicine is effective (e.g. take with food, or take on an empty stomach) or for
certain groups of people (e.g. regular monitoring needed in individuals with renal/
kidney failure)
ide effects – any undesirable effects that the medicine may produce in some
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people (e.g. a rash, or drowsiness)
Interactions – any interactions (reactions between two products) that the
medicine may have with other drugs, which could be dangerous or make the
treatment less effective
What to do if too much of the medication is accidentally taken
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© LaW Ltd 2011
Section 5: How to Access Information
About Medication
The Product Information Leaflet (PIL) should be written in clear and understandable
terms, that both you and your service users can easily read. It should also contain the
manufacturer and Product Licence Holder’s names and addresses. Electronic copies of
some Product Information Leaflets (PIL) are available at www.emc.medicines.org.uk
Data Sheets
In addition to the Product Information Leaflet aimed at service users, companies are
also required to produce a ‘Data Sheet’ and ‘Summary of Product Characteristics
(SPC)’ for each medicine. These are much more detailed information sheets for
use by health professionals. Copies of data sheets and SPCs are available from the
Manufacturer and are also available electronically from www.emc.medicines.org.uk
Medicine Instructions
The pharmacist has overall responsibility for checking the prescription and ensuring
it is written correctly. When the pharmacist dispenses the medication against a valid
authorised prescription, the container in which the medication is supplied must
be clearly labelled. By law, the label of any prescribed medicines dispensed by a
pharmacist must include ALL of the following information.
The service user’s full name The name of the medication
T he Dosage and frequency of the medication (ie how much and how often it
should be taken
The date of supply
The route to be taken/administered
Any special instructions for administration (for example ‘take with food’)
Any warnings or cautions (for example ‘avoid alcohol’)
Directions for use
Expiry date
Name and address of supplier / pharmacy
The wording ‘Keep out of reach of children’
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