When patients actively participate in their healthcare, they contribute to their overall health and safety
To commemorate World Patient Safety Day (17 September), Innovative Pharmaceutical Association of South Africa (IPASA) hosted a panel discussion with representative from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) and the South African Medical Association (SAMA) to discuss patient safety – a global problem.
An estimated three million people are affected by compromised patient safety. The biggest contributor is medication errors, which account for roughly 50 percent and include the incorrect medication and/or dose.
Speaking at the webinar, Dr Ziyanda Mgugudo-Sello noted: “Healthcare workers come into the industry to help patients. The question then is what goes wrong?”
She added that safety relies on systems. When these are disrupted, errors can occur. Quality assurance tools can assist, but another key to success is educating patients.
They should have all the necessary information on their medication and dosage, as well as be empowered to speak to the healthcare workers about their treatment.
Patient education
Medical practitioners should encourage their patients and caregivers to be more involved in their care.
This could include asking questions about their medication and reporting allergic reactions or adverse events. Healthcare practitioners could encourage the patient’s participation by better informing them about their treatment including the kind of medication and the dosage.
If the medication type, colour or dosage changes, it is helpful to inform the patient. When speaking to patients about their care, it is important for medical staff to consider the education level and language of the individual to ensure they understand fully what is required.
For more “old school” patients who are happy to simply take whatever medication is provided, it is important to follow up to ensure the medication is taken correctly and any reactions to the medication are reported.
“Patients are the primary caretaker of their health. They need to get involved on a community level and family level to teach parents and children to be advocates for their health,” said Dr Mgugudo-Sello.
At a community level, patients can serve on hospital boards or be part of community education initiatives.
In a family context, it is important to encourage family members to become educated in their health, take their medications correctly and report reactions to the medication.
This could also include women, wives or mothers encouraging the men in their lives (father, husband, brother) to seek medical care as men are less likely to pursue assistance.
Dr Mgugudo-Sello warned against members of a household sharing medication, especially when it is specifically prescribed to them, as the medication and dosage is specifically chosen for the body, weight and health. Mixing medication can be damaging to the body.
Reporting medication
“Non-serious” reactions to medication include anything that doesn’t pose a serious risk to the person such as headaches, dizziness and rashes.
A serious reaction is anything that is considered a medical emergency or leads to hospitalisation, disability, birth defects, loss of pregnancy, or death. Regardless of the reaction to the medication, patients are encouraged to report it.
“There is an under reporting of adverse events and reactions,” Dr Mgugudo-Sello explained. “Rather report it and we can categorise it. If there was an event, we want to avoid future events from happening.”
Aside from under reporting events, patients will also delay reporting an event. They might wait until their next consultation to mention something to their doctor. Dr Mgugudo-Sello encourages patients to report a reaction or event immediately.
The SAPHRA Med Safety App can be helpful as it simplifies and promotes the reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions, including adverse events following immunisation by both the public and healthcare providers.
It also allows the public and healthcare providers to learn about medicine safety news from SAHPRA.
Mafora Matlala, who represented SAHPRA at the webinar, noted that informed and empowered patients will also improve reporting on medication. SAHPRA uses the reports from patients to look for any patterns that could indicate an issue with the medication.
This helps them to update the medical packaging information leaflet, provide media statements or education, and remove medicines in serious situations.
