Bethesda, MD: Whether you use prescription or non-prescription medicines, or just take a daily vitamin, remember to "Educate Before You Medicate: Know Your Medicines." This is the theme for October's national health observance sponsored by the National Council on Patient Information and Education (NCPIE).
Formerly called "Talk About Prescriptions" Month, NCPIE urges all medicine users to "Remember the Three R's" --
- Risk: Know your medicine's risks and benefits.
- Respect: Respect the power of your medicine and the value of medicines, properly used.
- Responsibility: Take responsibility: ask questions, and tell your health care professionals about all prescription and non-prescription medicines you are taking.
For "Educate Before You Medicate" Month, NCPIE offers many resources including:
- Poster with the "Three R's" message (above)
- Get the Most from Your Medicines: Managing Side Effects (brochure)
- "Educate Before You Medicate" Wallet Card
- "Talk About Prescriptions" Mirror sticker
Ordering information is available at NCPIE's website, www.talkaboutrx.org. Most materials are sold in bulk.
In mid-October, two events at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda, Maryland, will kick off NCPIE's 20th anniversary, and highlight strategies for promoting wise medicine use by older adults. First, on October 16, NCPIE's gala evening reception will feature a performance of "Laughter is the Best Medicine" by the Capitol Steps, an "inside-the-Beltway" theatre troupe. Second, on October 17, NCPIE teams with the University of Maryland, College of Pharmacy's Lamy Center to host a one-day conference, "High Tech/ High Touch: Making the Connections to Improve Medicine Use for Older Adults." Keynote speakers include AARP Executive Director Bill Novelli, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Acting Director Carolyn Clancy, M.D.
More details on these two events are available at www.talkaboutrx.org
October's "Educate Before You Medicate" Month will also be observed by an expansion of NCPIE's Be MedWise campaign, launched in January 2002 to promote appropriate use of non-prescription medicines. More information about the campaign is at www.bemedwise.org
Formed in 1982, the National Council on Patient Information and Education is a non-profit coalition of 140 organizations committed to improving communication between consumers and health care professionals about the appropriate use of medicines.
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