The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a NCPIE Board member, 
has updated this checklist to help consumers avoid medication errors.  .  Topics 
covered include:  

Bring a list or a bag with all your medicines when you go to your doctor's 
office, the pharmacy, or the hospital.
Ask questions about your medicines.
Make sure your medicine is what the doctor ordered.
Ask how to use the medicine correctly.
 Ask about possible side effects.

Available in English and Spanish language.

The little white bag you get from the pharmacy that holds your medicine often 
comes with an attachment. It's a flier that's supposed to give you information 
about your drug. It tells you what it's called, how to take it and what problems 
might arise. The trouble is, it's often several pages long — and filled with technical 
medical jargon and legal-speak.  Sometimes you can't find where the most 
important information is, so a lot of people wind up just chucking it in the trash.  
The Food and Drug Administration is about to make some changes.  To read more 
click here.

The proportion of substance abuse treatment admissions of those aged 12 and 
older involving abuse of prescription pain relievers rose from 2.2% in 1998 to 9.8% 
in 2008, according to a new study from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration (SAMHSA). The dramatic rise occurred among nearly all 
segments of the population regardless of age, gender, educational level and 
employment status. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has unveiled a new plan designed to curb 
the misuse of prescription opioids. The long-awaited and controversial Risk 
Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) for long-acting and extended-release 
opioids includes mandatory prescriber and patient education.

FDA has released the new plan in advance of an advisory committee meeting 
scheduled for July 22 and 23. They are seeking input from stakeholders and the 
public.  The new proposal is advocating more oversight, but the FDA has dropped 
a number of earlier ideas such as prescriber accreditation and patient registration 
programs. Prescriber education is in the plan, but the burden will be on drug 
manufacturers to offer training and demonstrate improvements in prescribing 
through surveys. The plan does not require any formal prescriber enrolment or real-
time verification of training. The plan is also advocating a medication guide to 
inform people of the safe use, storage, and disposal of long-acting and extended-
release opioids. The medication guide would be provided to patients each time a 
prescription is dispensed.

A hearing of the United States Special Committee on Aging convened on June 
30th on the problem of unused medications and how to dispose of them.  
Chairman Kohl announced plans to work with members of the Committee to 
develop a comprehensive package of legislative reforms to reduce waste and 
ensure safe disposal of medications. Federal panelists included Gil Kerlikowske, 
Director, White House Office of National Drug Policy Control and Joseph 
Rannazzisi, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Office of Diversion Control, Drug 
Enforcement Administration, US Department of Justice.  

Other witnesses included Mary Hendrickson, Director of Quality and Regulatory 
Affairs, Genco Pharmaceutical Services, Milwaukee, WI; Bernard Strain, father of 
Timothy Michael Strain, Philadelphia, PA; Stevan Gressitt, Founding Director, 
Maine Institute for Safe Medicine, Faculty Associate University of Maine, Center 
on Aging, Unity, ME; and Bruce Behringer, Associate Vice President and Executive 
Director, Office of Rural and Community Health ad Community Partnerships, East 
Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN. Testimony is available at the U.S. 
Special Committee on Aging (see link above).  For a recording of the hearing, see 
the United States Senate Special Committee on Aging's website.