Benefits of bringing your current medication with you when you go to the hospital

1. Medicines you may be taking at home before you go to the hospital You may be taking one or more medications before you go to the hospital for a check-up or treatment. Medications you are taking at home may include:
1.1. Chronic medications These are medications you take long-term, which can last for months or years, to treat certain chronic conditions. If nothing is out of the ordinary, you should still have regular check-ups and continue taking your prescribed medication. Sometimes, chronic medications can change in dose or type as your body or your disease changes over time.
Chronic medications are important medications that should be maintained in the hospital, after evaluation by your doctor and pharmacist, even if you have another acute problem. Medicines for chronic treatment can include: diabetes drugs (diabetes), blood pressure drugs and other cardiovascular drugs, gastrointestinal disease drugs, bone and joint drugs, blood lipid control drugs, asthma medications bronchial or other chronic respiratory diseases, endocrine and hormonal drugs, drugs to treat neurological, psychiatric and sleep problems...

1.2. Pain relievers and fever reducers You can take these medicines because of an existing health problem or take them more often because of repetitive symptoms (such as fever, headache, joint pain, etc.). .). Talking about these drugs with your healthcare provider can help you get the information you need.
In addition, at home you can also use drugs such as: Birth control pills; Traditional medicine or herbal medicine; Nasal sprays, eye, nose, ear drops, topical and suppositories; Functional foods .

2. Why bring all the medications you're taking with you to the hospital? Chronic problems and underlying medical conditions need to be maintained while you are hospitalized and treated for another health problem. You have been periodically examined, evaluated and re-evaluated for your chronic diseases to have an appropriate chronic disease treatment regimen. Taking chronic medications and talking to your doctor or pharmacist at the hospital will help you get the best treatment. If left untreated, your chronic condition can become an acute problem and worsen your existing health condition, making it harder to treat and making you more uncomfortable. At the hospital, your chronic medication may change in dosage and type to match your current health condition. However, without knowing exactly all the medications you've been taking at home for a long time, your healthcare provider may not be able to choose the best regimen for you. With long-term medication, you can remember most of your medication. However, carrying chronic medications is the simplest and most important measure to avoid missing drugs during hospital treatment or misremembering drug information, especially drug names and dosages.
The acute health problem that caused you to be hospitalized may be caused by a certain medication you are taking. There are elderly patients admitted to the hospital with a hypertensive emergency following the use of vasoconstrictor nasal sprays to relieve nasal congestion. There are patients with acute hepatitis caused by drugs of medicinal origin or overdose of pain relievers. There are patients hospitalized with acute kidney failure due to the use of anti-inflammatory analgesics to treat musculoskeletal problems. There are patients hospitalized for anaphylaxis with topical medications, antibiotics, or a common over-the-counter drug sold outside the pharmacy... Bring the medications you're taking to make sure the medical staff get them. The information you need most for your diagnosis and treatment at your hospital.
When taking multiple drugs, drug interactions can occur. Drug-drug interaction is the interaction of drugs in the body, causing the effect of a certain drug to be reduced or lost, increased or caused side effects when used simultaneously with another drug. Sometimes, the effects of a drug can persist in the body for a long time, days, weeks, or even months after stopping the drug. Therefore, to avoid encountering possible drug interactions, medical staff need to know information about the medicines you are taking at home to take appropriate treatment.
Similarly, when you take anticoagulants or drugs that affect blood clotting, the effect of the medicine does not go away as soon as you stop taking it. And this can be serious if you need a surgical procedure that carries a risk of bleeding. To ensure safety, the most important information such as drug name, dose, and time of last dose will need to be recorded.
Information about medications you are taking at home to treat existing health problems that can help your doctor evaluate, rule out and diagnose your illness, and prescribe the most appropriate medications with the current situation, including avoiding the use of the same medication, or the avoidance of drug overdose.
Bringing your current medication with you to the hospital as well as talking to your healthcare provider about your medication at home is very important to help you receive appropriate, effective and safe treatment. Avoid self-medicating with drugs available at the hospital without consulting your doctor or pharmacist.

3. When are you asked for information about medications you are taking at home? You may be asked and exchanged about medication information at home at various times at the hospital. Feel free and honest to exchange information about your illness and medication for safe and effective treatment. Doctors, pharmacists and nurses may need this important information when:
🗹 Emergency visit
🗹 Clinic visit
🗹 Starting treatment in the ward
🗹 Before prescribing medication
🗹 Before surgical intervention, procedure or any risky laboratory investigation
Suspected drug side effects
🗹 Before new outpatient prescription
🗹 Before medical and drug information consultation
Always bring your medication at home when you go to the hospital to ensure your rights. In case you only take prescription drugs, you can bring your nearest prescription. At Vinmec International General Hospital, Clinical Pharmacists will record your drug history information in the file to ensure that you are using drugs safely and rationally. At the same time, you will be consulted about drug information as well as correcting your inappropriate knowledge during drug use.
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