October 9, 2003: Throughout the U.S. and across the Atlantic, there has been a flurry of "Talk About Prescriptions" Month activity since the national health observance started October 1. Sponsored by the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE), this 18th annual "TAP" Month's theme is Educate Before You Medicate: A Prescription for Patient Safety."
Many "TAP" Month activities relate to NCPIE's "Be MedWise" campaign promoting wise use of non-prescription (over-the-counter) medicines. The U.S. Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Richard Carmona, MD, MPH, unveiled his "Be MedWise" educational "prescription" at a NCPIE press conference on Sept. 10 in Washington, DC. Carmona's "prescription," which is a series of questions consumers should ask a health care professional before using an OTC medicine, was featured in an Associated Press column (Oct. 6), Drug Topics (Oct. 6), and last month on CNN and CNN.com. An article in Drug Store News is forthcoming in late October, and a series of live radio interviews on "Be MedWise" is scheduled for October 23 throughout the U.S.
"Our 'TAP' Month has really caught on," said W. Ray Bullman, NCPIE's Executive Vice President. "People are talking about medicines - both prescription and OTCs - and are asking questions of their health care professionals to ensure they use medicines safely. Our message to Educate Before You Medicate really hits home, near and far," Bullman added.
Indeed, the United Kingdom's inaugural Ask-About-Medicines-Week kicks off October 12. Fashioned closely after NCPIE's "Talk About Prescriptions" Month, this U.K. "week" is designed to increase people's understanding of their medicines through creating more opportunities to ask questions and raise concerns about their medicines. A complement to this new U.K. observance is the British Medical Journal's theme issue, "People taking Medicines," to be published October 11.
Stateside, National Pharmacists Week - another long-time October complement to "Talk About Prescriptions" Month - will be observed Oct. 19-25. This event is coordinated by the American Pharmacists Association, a founding and current member of NCPIE's Board. Many pharmacists in both community and health system settings will offer medicine check-ups and extra opportunities for answering patients' questions.
In honor of "TAP" Month, consumers can write to NCPIE for a free "TAP"-PAK that contains samples of six popular resources to promote medicine communication. (Send a business-size, #10 envelope with three first-class stamps to: TAP-PAK, c/o NCPIE, 200-A Monroe Street, Suite 212, Rockville, MD 20850-4448 . Requests must be postmarked by Oct. 31.)
The National Council on Patient Information and Education, founded in 1982, is a non-profit coalition dedicated to improving communication between consumers and health care professionals about the safe, appropriate use of medicines. For more information, please visit http://www.talkaboutrx.org.
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