At least a million people in the US are hospitalized every year for prescription drug interactions, side effects, and improper use. To help patients lower their risk of such problems, the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative (IHConline.org) offers a printable medication wallet card.
Folded to wallet size and kept with your insurance cards, this compact, 2-sided medication card can be:
• A lifesaver in case of accident or illness,
• A factual means of communicating with/updating your doctors, hospital, dentist, & clinic,
• And a help to pharmacists when you get a new medicine or want to check on interactions.
Information it will contain includes:
• Your name and phone
• Emergency contact info
• Health conditions
• 5 questions to ask about any prescribed medicine or supplement
• Any advance directives
• Past surgeries/years
• Allergies & how you react
• Doctor/Pharmacy names & numbers
• Recent vaccinations (such as flu, pneumonia)
• List of all medicines taken regularly (w. date added/changed, dose, frequency, purpose, prescribing doctors)
• Over-the-counter medicines taken regularly – (allergy, antacids, aspirin, laxatives, vitamins, pain, etc.)
Instructions for how to use your "Medication Matters Card" are provided, along with instructions for folding it to fit neatly in a plastic wallet sleeve.
Note: The card is designed by the Iowa Healthcare Collaborative including St. Luke's Hospital, Cedar Rapids; Mercy Medical Center, Cedar Rapids; Iowa Pharmacy Association.
